Early Parkinson’s warning signs may be hiding in the gut, study finds
“Parkinson’s disease is a major cause of disability worldwide, and the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in terms of prevalence and mortality,” lead author professor Anthony Schapira of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology said in the release.
“There is an urgent need to develop treatments that can stop or slow the disease’s progression.”
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Patients with Parkinson’s are known to have “significant gut abnormalities,” according to Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.
One of those is severe constipation, which can occur several years before tremors and other symptoms.
Those who reported eating a more diverse and balanced diet were less likely to have microbiome patterns associated with higher Parkinson’s risk, the researchers found. (iStock)
“There has long been a theory about the gut-brain axis and whether or not the pathology for Parkinson’s starts in the gut decades before stereotypical features are noted,” Murray, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
The neurologist said the study sets the stage for additional research exploring the gut-brain axis theory, which could determine whether early pre-symptomatic treatments could prevent or mitigate the risk of developing Parkinson’s later in life.
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“With an aging population that is living longer, the prevalence of Parkinson’s is increasing significantly, which underscores the importance of studies like this that attempt to prevent this debilitating neurodegenerative disease,” Murray added.
“With an aging population that is living longer, the prevalence of Parkinson’s is increasing significantly,” according to Dr. Earnest Lee Murray. (iStock)
Dr. Aaron Ellenbogen, medical director of the Parkinson’s Disease Movement Disorders Center at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, said it is not surprising that a change in the organisms living in the GI tract can be a signature of evolving Parkinson’s pathology.
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“In general, people with GBA mutations tend to have Parkinson’s symptoms evolve in a way that is more consistent with a gut-first presentation,” Ellenbogen, who also was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
Others may experience a different set of symptoms, including loss of sense of smell, before developing signs of motor Parkinson’s disease, he noted.
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“In fact, many of these people don’t develop the symptoms of constipation and REM behavior disorder until later in their disease course,” Ellenbogen said. “These people may actually have a form of Parkinson’s that starts in the brain.”
Potential limitations
There were some limitations to the study, the researchers acknowledged. Because it was observational in design, it could not prove that the microbiome changes directly caused Parkinson’s.
The researchers also noted that not everyone with at-risk microbiome profiles will develop the disease, as other genetic or environmental factors could play a role.
The researchers also noted that not everyone with at-risk microbiome profiles will develop the disease, as other genetic or environmental factors could play a role. (iStock)
Additionally, differences in microbiomes across various populations could skew the results.
“To enable both the research and eventual use of such treatments, we need to develop the means for very early detection of people who will, or likely will, go on to develop the disease,” Schapira said.
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The study was funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the UK Medical Research Council.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/early-parkinsons-warning-signs-may-hiding-gut-study-finds