Certain Foods and Medications Can Increase the
Risk of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by tremors, loss of balance and decreased mobility. It affects roughly one million people in the United States. It’s not a fatal disease, but as it progresses it usually leaves its victims completely disabled.

Statistically, Parkinson’s disease affects more people than Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis combined. Men are at greater risk. It strikes three men for every two women.¹

Parkinson’s disease is what doctors call idiopathic, meaning we don’t know exactly what causes it or why.

However, recent research has discovered new risk factors for Parkinson’s disease. One is an ordinary, everyday food group. The other is a prescription medication taken by more than 25 million people every day. Keep reading for the full story. . .

Low-Fat Dairy Correlates
with Developing Parkinson’s Disease

The ordinary food group I mentioned above is low-fat dairy. This includes reduced fat yogurt, frozen yogurt, and skim and low-fat milk.

A study published in the June 2017 issue of the journal Neurology studied 129,346 people for 25 years.

The researchers combined the data with a meta-analysis of three other previously published studies about total milk intake and the risk of Parkinson’s disease, and one study about total dairy intake and PD risk.

According to the study:

“Of the total participants, people who consumed more than one serving a day of low-fat dairy, particularly low-fat and skim milk, had a greater risk of PD compared to those who consumed one to three servings per month. Though low-fat and skim milk were the biggest culprits, sherbet and frozen yogurt were also associated with an increased risk.”²

While the exact link between low-fat dairy and Parkinson’s disease is unclear, the researchers think it may be because milk proteins can decrease the amount of uric acid in the body.

Uric acid is produced from the natural breakdown of food and is usually filtered out through the kidneys. Low levels of uric acid have been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, especially in men.³

The researchers in the Neurology study think that full-fat dairy may not have the same risk-increasing effect as low-fat because of the protective effects of saturated fat found in whole milk products.

The study concluded, “Though the associated risk for PD is modest, you may still want to cut down on your consumption of low-fat dairy.”

Statin Drugs Increase Parkinson’s Risk

Statin drugs are the darling of Big Pharma – and the dimwitted doctors who believe everything the drug companies tell them. The drugs companies pushed for the American Heart Association to expand guidelines for statin use, and received them. So now 56 million Americans are “eligible” for statin drugs, lucky devils.

Unfortunately, the drug companies and doctors won’t tell you that taking these drugs every day can increase your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

In a study published in the journal Movement Disorders, researchers used MarketScan, a large U.S. insurance claims database, to see if there was a connection between statins and Parkinson’s disease.

They reviewed 2,322 cases, and matched them against 2,322 controls matched individually by age, gender and a follow-up window.

They discovered “statin usage was significantly associated with PD risk.”⁴ The strongest associations were with lipophilic statins, and the risk was highest right after people started taking them.

Lipophilic statins go by the generic names atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin. Drugs in this category cross the blood-brain barrier more easily than other kinds of statins, which may account for their devastating effect on the brain.⁵

How to Reduce Your Risk of Parkinson’s

The most obvious ways to reduce your risk of Parkinson’s disease is to reduce your intake of low-fat dairy and get off statin drugs.

If you love dairy, consider eating full fat products in smaller amounts to protect yourself. If you’re not on statin drugs now, adjust your diet and lifestyle so that you’re never advised to go on one.

It’s a well-established medical fact that statins do not decrease the risk of heart attack in people who have never had one, and also that they don’t decrease the risk in women. They do decrease the risk of a second heart attack in men who have already had one.

Yet the medical profession continues to push these drugs with religious zeal. Actually, that’s a slander on religion, as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is backed by quite a bit more evidence than are the benefits of statin drugs.

Chances are pretty good your doctor will get angry with you if you refuse to take them. That’s one good reason to seek out an alternative or integrative doctor. There are plenty of other reasons.

Best Regards,

Lee Euler
Publisher

References:

¹ Statistics of Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

² Consuming too much low-fat dairy may increase risk of Parkinson’s disease.

³ Serum uric acid levels in Parkinson's disease and related disorders.

⁴ Statins may facilitate Parkinson's disease: Insight gained from a large, national claims database.

⁵ Which statin is right for my patient?