"Eat a lot of green vegetables, they are full of iron" - this is what our mothers used to lecture us every day. Iron is good for health but excess iron can be harmful as in the case of Parkinson's disease. Surprising but true, brain iron levels have been found to be high in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the midbrain. Hallgren and Sourander state that there is no iron in the brain at birth but the brain iron levels accumulate rapidly during adolescence and early adulthood. In patients with Parkinson's disease, abnormal iron concentration has been found in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra. This has led to a discussion on the relationship between iron and Parkinson's disease.
How can excess brain iron levels affect patients with Parkinson's disease?
Excess iron is found in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. This excess iron in the neurons has been found to impair cellular recycling causing toxic oxidative stress. This oxidative stress plays a major role in the death of neurons in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Research from the Anderson Lab at the Buck Institute of Research on Ageing in California has revealed that iron reduces the ability of neurons to perform cellular recycling. The excess iron damages the lysosomes within the cells, thereby affecting their ability to recycle damaged proteins.
It is the function of the lysosomes to store iron in the cell in such a way that it does not participate in oxidative reactions. Since the lysosomes are damaged, the excess iron enters the neurons causing their death. With age, the ability of the lysosomes to recycle proteins diminishes, thereby creating more protein garbage. One such abnormal protein aggregate present in patients with Parkinson's disease is the Lewy bodies which are responsible for this ailment.
All this is due to the excess iron present in the basal ganglia of patients with Parkinson's disease.
University of Washington's research scientists revealed that people who consumed higher quantities of iron are more likely to be prone to Parkinson's disease and their risk is doubled.
The only way to combat this ailment is to adopt the right Parkinson disease diet.
Parkinson Disease Diet
Consume
- Fibre-rich food like whole grains, broccoli, peas, beans
- Tree nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios
- Berries like blueberries, cranberries, goji berries and elderberries
- Bland food like saltine crackers or plain bread
- Lots of water- 8 cups daily
- Levodopa which is the best medication for Parkinson's disease on an empty stomach half an hour before meals as per doctor's advice
Reduce
- Sugar
- Salt
- Dairy products
- Ice-cold drinks
- Orange, grapefruit or acidic beverages
Dos and don'ts
- Sip all liquids slowly. Drink a little water or juice after each bite of food to help you swallow.
- Dunk bread or crackers in milk to swallow them easily.
- Mix all foods with gravies or sauces to swallow easily
- Consume liquids between meals.
- Eat small portions of meals frequently
- Avoid oily, fried, sugary or greasy foods.
- Avoid coffee, tea, chocolate or soda
- Avoid mouthwashes
- Don't mix hot and cold foods. Have food at room temperature
Foods that patients with Parkinson's disease can have
- Ice cream and custard
- Sandwiches and nachos with cheese
- Greek yoghurt
- Eggs
- Granola bars
- Crackers with peanut butter
- Cereals
Parkinson's support programs must discuss the use of Parkinson's disease diet in order to create awareness about the disease, its relationship with iron and the right foods to be consumed.
