November 20, 2014
Sissa Medialab
A review of the scientific literature on
Parkinson's disease, conducted by SISSA research scientists, shows that even
the non-motor symptoms associated with the disease can contribute to the changes
in body weight seen in patients (including those subjected to deep brain
stimulation). Among the factors affecting eating habits and body weight there
could be, for example, an impaired ability to derive pleasure from food and
changes in motivation. These are important findings which can help to
understand how to reduce these effects of Parkinson's that exacerbate an
already negative clinical situation
Patients affected by Parkinson's disease often
show marked changes in body weight: they may gain or lose a lot of weight
depending on the stage of the disease, or they may put on up to ten kilos after
deep brain stimulation (a treatment to alleviate the symptoms). This situation
considerably worsens the quality of life of a person who is already suffering
from heavily disabling motor disorders, so it is important to understand what
are the factors that cause it.
"The body weight and eating habits of
Parkinson's patients change as the disease progresses," explains Marilena
Aiello, SISSA researcher and first author of the study published in the journal
Appetite. "In our paper, we reviewed studies on Parkinson's that provided
data on the association between non-motor symptoms and dietary habits and body
weight. This way, we were able to evaluate some factors which, beyond the motor
symptoms and drug treatments, might play a role in this problem."
Depression, cognitive impairment, sensory
disturbances -- chiefly smell and taste -, impaired ability to feel pleasure:
all these aspects contribute to incorrect eating habits. "The possible
role of the ability to feel pleasure and motivation towards food consumption is
particularly interesting. Parkinson's patients may be somewhat lacking in this
respect and therefore eat less and lose weight, whereas the weight gain
exhibited after deep brain stimulation seems to point to an increase in
pleasure and motivation associated with food. Specific studies are required to
confirm or refute this finding emerging from the literature review."
"Studies like ours can help those working
with these patients: awareness of the roles played by the different factors is
in fact crucial for devising interventions aiming to minimise the effect of the
deficits and restore normal weight levels in individuals who are already
suffering because of the disease."
end text
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Journal Reference:
1
Marilena Aiello, Roberto Eleopra,
Raffella I. Rumiati. Body weight and food intake in Parkinson's disease. A
review of the association to non-motor symptoms. Appetite, 2015; 84:
204 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.10.011
end journal_references
Cite This Page:
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MLA
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Chicago
Sissa Medialab. "Weight,
eating habits in Parkinson's disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20
November 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141120082138.htm>.
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