Does diet protect against Parkinson's disease? Part 4 – vitamins and minerals

Abstract

This paper is the fourth in a series on Parkinson's disease and diet and investigates the role which antioxidant vitamins A and C, niacin and selenium may have on the incidence of the disease. Oxidative stress is believed to be a key factor in the development of PD and all of these have a role in preventing oxidative stress mediated cell damage. Dietary information was obtained via questionnaires. Vitamin C was found to reduce the risk of PD by 40 per cent in one study, although this was not supported by other studies. Niacin was associated with an at least 70 per cent reduced risk of PD incidence in a number of studies. No evidence was found to support a role for vitamin A or selenium. There is a need for further research to support or disprove the roles of these antioxidant vitamins within the aetiology of PD.

Citation

Brown, I. (2004), "Does diet protect against Parkinson's disease? Part 4 – vitamins and minerals", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 198-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650410560343