From reducing inflammation and improving immunity to stopping certain diseases, good gut health is important for overall well-being. Researchers have found more evidence of the link, as a recent study reveals that certain gut conditions might be early warning signs of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the brain and the central nervous system and causes uncontrollable movements similar to shaking, stiffness and lack of balance. It’s estimated that around 90,000 people within the U.S. are diagnosed with the debilitating condition every yr and greater than 10 million people worldwide suffer from it. Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for it.

Earlier studies have linked brain disorders similar to Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular diseases to gut disorders. Then in the brand new study published within the BMJ journal, researchers tested Braak’s hypothesis, which states that the origin of Parkinson’s disease is within the gastrointestinal tract.

The findings of the study indicate that digestive issues similar to constipation, gastroparesis (improper stomach emptying), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) without diarrhea can increase the danger of Parkinson’s disease.

To check the hypothesis, the researchers used data from the U.S. nationwide medical record network (TriNetX). The team compared the records of 24,624 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease with no known cause to those of individuals diagnosed with other neurological conditions similar to Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease and folks with none of those conditions. The researchers evaluated the frequency of gut conditions in all these groups.

The hypothesis was further tested in a different way by dividing all of the adults within the network with gut conditions into separate groups. Participants inside these groups were paired with those that didn’t have any specific gut condition. Using medical records, they were closely observed for five years and tracked for the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease or another neurological disorders in them.

The findings suggest that among the many 18 gut conditions analyzed, 4 of them increase the danger of Parkinson’s disease. While gastroparesis, dysphagia and constipation double the danger of Parkinson’s disease, IBS without diarrhea is linked to a 17% greater risk.

Researchers also found that appendix removal has a protective role against Parkinson’s, although they didn’t study the cause behind the link.

“This study is the primary to determine substantial observational evidence that the clinical diagnosis of not only constipation but additionally dysphagia, gastroparesis and IBS without diarrhea might specifically predict the event of PD, whereas other exposures were less specific. An appendectomy appeared protective, resulting in further speculation about its role in PD pathophysiology,” the researchers wrote.

“These findings warrant alertness for gastrointestinal syndromes in patients at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease and highlight the necessity for further investigation of gastrointestinal precedents in Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease,” they added.

Published by Medicaldaily.com