Mediterranean Dietary Pattern at Middle Age and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Swedish Cohort Study
Weiyao Yin, Marie Löf, Nancy L. Pedersen, Sven Sandin, Fang Fang
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet has been proposed to protect against neurodegeneration. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the association of adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) at middle age with risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) later in life. METHOD: In a population-based cohort of >47,000 Swedish women, information on diet was collected through a food frequency questionnaire during 1991-1992, from which adherence to MDP was calculated. We also collected detailed information on potential confounders. Clinical diagnosis of PD was ascertained from the Swedish National Patient Register through 2012. RESULTS: We observed an inverse association between adherence to MDP and PD, multivariable hazard ratio of 0.54 (95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.98), comparing high with low adherence. The association was noted primarily from age 65 years onward. One unit increase in the adherence score was associated with a 29% lower risk for PD at age ≥ 65 years (95% confidence interval: 0.57-0.89). CONCLUSION: Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with lower risk for PD. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.