There are a few large studies that suggest the foods people eat throughout their lives increases (or decreases) their risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. For instance, the more dairy, meat, and processed food a person eats, the more likely they are to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The more fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, and beans a person eats, the less likely they are to be diagnosed with PD. 

What patients want to know is whether changing their diet will improve their health over time. People are trying ketogenic, vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean, BRAIN, Wahls’, macrobiotic, and plant-based diets as a strategy for slowing PD progression. These diets are incredibly difficult to study and without high-level studies, providers are often at a loss when patients ask, “Is there a Parkinson’s diet?”