According to the latest research, in the process of aging of patients suffering from obesity-linked type 2 diabetes, the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease increases.
Actually, the Finnish research indicates that surplus weight may constitute a good explanation to the question why diabetics are at greater risk of getting the neurological disorder.
"The results of the study are of great importance from a clinical and public health point of view," claims study author Dr Gang Hu, senior researcher at the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki. "Type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly in all societies, and its influence on various health outcomes are not completely known or even examined."
Largest research of its kind
The research conducted by his team - the first large effort to follow people over time and assess the diabetes-Parkinson’s correlation - is published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.
Parkinson’s disease appears when some brain cells or neurons die or become impaired. These cells usually produce a substance known as dopamine, that helps control coordinated movement. The classic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include: tremor, slow movement and problems with keeping one’s balance.
In type 2 diabetes, the organism does not appropriately use insulin or does not produce sufficient amount of insulin, which is vital for the body’s uptake of glucose for energy. Excess weight is the key risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Several other studies have inspected how widespread type 2 diabetes is among patients with Parkinson disease, however, according to Hu, "the findings are not consistent."
Hu’s team’s research involved over 51 000 Finnish citizens of both genders with no previous history of Parkinson’s, between 25 and 74 years of age, at the outset of the experiment.
In the course of the 18 years of follow-up, 324 men and 309 women experienced Parkinson’s disease.
83 per cent greater risk
Once Hu and his colleagues assessed the medical histories of the participants, they discovered that individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes were at 83 per cent greater risk for developing Parkinson’s.
The elevated risk was still there, even after the scientists took under consideration body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, coffee/tea consumption, smoking cigarettes and physical activity.
So, what’s behind the connection? "It could be hypothesized that diabetes might escalate the likelihood of Parkinson’s disease partially through surplus body weight," Hu explained. "The positive connection between body weight and the likelihood of Parkinson’s disease has been discovered in our previous research."
Still early days
However, another specialist called the research "very preliminary".
Cathy Nonas, director of diabetes and obesity programs at North General Hospital and an assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, explained that the correlation really makes sense. "I could theorize - just theorize - that due to the fact that it takes a lot of energy for brain cells to use glucose, that insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes might negatively influence carbohydrate metabolism in dopaminergic neurons, leading to some kind of dysfunction and rendering them unable to defend against cell damage," she added.
Actually, Nonas is analyzing the results from having very low-protein, very low-carbohydrate diets on Parkinson’s patients. In theory, when you reduce the amount of carbs in the body, it makes more "ketones" - chemicals produced when the body breaks down fat for energy. Nonas claims that ketones may constitute an easier fuel than glucose for the brain to use, probably alleviating several symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Nevertheless, that study is in its infancy. For now, Nonas explained, the best advice is for anyone with type 2 diabetes to keep it under control and visit their healthcare provider on a regular basis. If they experience some new symptoms, such as difficulty walking or tremors, they ought o make their physician aware of them, she said.
