Weight changes in early Parkinson's may be related to changes in thinking skills

According to a report published in the October 19, 2022 issue of the American Academy of Neurology's medical journal Neurology? According to a study in the online journal, people who gained or lost weight shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease may be more likely to have changes
in their thinking skills than those who maintain their weight.

"Early weight loss is a common symptom in people with Parkinson's disease," said
study author Dr.
Jin-Sun Jun of Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul, South Korea.
"It could be a sign that people are at risk of
cognitive decline.
"

The study involved 358 people
who had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but had not yet started taking Parkinson's medication.
Their average age is 61 and they were diagnosed
two years ago on average.
They were compared
with 174 people who did not have Parkinson's disease.

Weight gain or loss is defined as a change in weight of more than 3%
in the first year of the study.
Weight maintenance is defined as no change or no more than 3%
change.
A total of 98 people lost weight, 59 gained weight, and 201 remained the same
.

Participants were tested for their thinking skills at the beginning of the study and annually thereafter for 8 years
.
They also tested for other non-motor symptoms that people with Parkinson's disease might have, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances
.

Compared to Parkinson's patients who maintained their weight, Parkinson's patients who lost weight decreased faster
on the overall thinking ability score.
Both groups scored an average of 27 points on
the test.
Dieters scored 0.
19 points
lower per year than those who maintained their weight.
The greatest decline in thinking ability is verbal fluency, a measure
of executive function.

In contrast, Parkinson's patients who gained weight experienced a slower
decline in scores on the processing speed test than those whose weight remained constant.

There was no association
between weight change and any other non-motor symptoms.

In people without Parkinson's, there was no relationship
between weight change and thinking ability test scores.

"These findings underscore the potential importance of weight management in the early stages of Parkinson's disease," Jun said
.
"Further research is needed to determine whether taking steps to prevent weight loss can slow cognitive decline
in Parkinson's patients.
"

The study did not prove that changes in weight lead to changes in thinking skills; It shows only one association
.

A limitation of the study is that the researchers were unable to investigate whether weight changes had the same
effect on thinking skills as for underweight or obese people.
They also can't consider whether the weight change is intentional or unintentional
.

The research was supported
by a research grant from Hallin University.