Index
- Can Parkinson's disease be prevented?
- Understanding Parkinson's disease
- Definition and causes
- Symptoms
- Who are the people at risk?
- What can be done to prevent Parkinson's disease?
- Food
- Lifestyle habits
- Understanding Parkinson's disease
Can Parkinson's disease be prevented?
Although aging is a natural process that everyone must go through, there are deteriorations affecting certain functions that are not natural. These are usually neurodegenerative diseases. This means that they are caused by the deterioration and death of certain neurons. Among this type of disease, Parkinson's disease is one of the most common. Irreversible, it can have serious consequences on the health and life of the patient in general. A question then arises as to the possibility of preventing Parkinson's disease. You will find the answers in the following paragraphs.
Understanding Parkinson's disease
In order to answer the question about preventing Parkinson's disease, it is important to take stock of what exactly Parkinson's disease is. This will also give you a better understanding of the disease so that you can better prevent it. It is important to note that there is currently no treatment that can completely cure it.
Definition and causes
Parkinson's disease is a disease that affects the nervous system responsible for movement. In concrete terms, it refers to a progressive deterioration of certain neurons located in the area of the brain responsible for controlling movement. This is why it is classified as a degenerative disease. As an age-related disease, Parkinson's disease generally occurs from the age of 50 onwards.
The causes most cited by scientists as being responsible for this slow death of neurons are the presence of Lewy bodies, too much exposure to chemical pollutants such as pesticides. There is also the taking of drugs such as MPTP or heredity and manganese or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Symptoms
Since aging brings with it a whole host of health problems, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be confused with them. However, as the disease develops, there are some very characteristic signs that can be used to recognize it. However, it should be pointed out that the first symptoms of the disease only occur when more than 60% of the neurons responsible for movement are destroyed.
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease vary from person to person, but also depending on the progression and severity of the disease. The most common of these are as follows:
- Cognitive disorders
- The difficulty of thinking in a coherent and orderly fashion
- Mood disorders that can lead to depression
- Tremors at rest
- Stiffness in the limbs (bradykinesis), affecting the movements
- The Parkinsonian gait characterized by very small steps
- Swallowing problems
- Sleep disorders
- Urinary incontinence
- Constipation
- Smell disorders leading to the confusion of certain smells
Who are the people at risk?
Some people are more likely to suffer from this dementia than others. They are referred to as "people at risk", and are generally older people over the age of 55. Also, men are more affected than women by Parkinson's disease. Prolonged or excessive exposure to chemical substances is also blamed for the increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
What can be done to prevent Parkinson's disease?
Treating Parkinson's disease is still impossible at this time. Existing treatments consist of relieving its symptoms and slowing down the total destruction of neurons. However, there are certain precautions that can be taken to prevent Parkinson's disease. These concern both diet and daily habits.
Food
According to research, there is a preventive diet for this demented pathology. This should include the following foods:
- Foods high in omega-3: the presence of DHA in this type of food helps to better prevent Parkinson's disease. You can fill up on omega-3 by adding fatty fish such as sardines, herring, salmon or mackerel to your diet.
- Coffee: it has been proven by various large-scale studies that caffeine plays a neuroprotective role against the damage caused by Parkinson's disease. However, it should not be Two cups a day would be sufficient.
- Peppers: eating peppers 2 to 4 times a week would be enough to reduce the risk of developing this pathology.
- Foods rich in vitamin B6: these would reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 35% to 50%. You will find this vitamin in offal.
- Plants rich in flavonoids: these are substances that plants synthesize. They are reputed to be very effective antioxidants. Red berries are particularly rich in this substance.
Lifestyle habits
On a daily basis, it is also necessary to adopt certain habits in order to reduce the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disease.
- Reduce your calcium intake. Indeed, an excess of calcium in the brain can promote the onset of this disease
- Doing sports to slow down the degeneration of neurons
- Drink plenty of water to prevent constipation, which is a risk factor for the disease
