EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, June 07, 2017
Does Consuming Low-Fat Dairy Increase the Risk of Parkinson鈥檚 Disease?
Minneapolis -
Consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day is associated with a greater risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease compared to consuming less than one serving a day, according to a large study published in the June 7, 2017, online issue of , the medical journal of the 好色先生. In addition, drinking more than one serving of low-fat or skim milk per day is associated with a greater risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 disease compared to drinking less than one serving per week. The study results do not show that dairy products cause Parkinson鈥檚 disease鈥攖hey just show an association. 鈥淥ur study is the largest analysis of dairy and Parkinson鈥檚 to date,鈥 said Katherine C. Hughes, ScD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. 鈥淭he results provide evidence of a modest increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 with greater consumption of low-fat dairy products. Such dairy products, which are widely consumed, could potentially be a modifiable risk factor for the disease.鈥 For the study, researchers analyzed approximately 25 years of data on 80,736 women enrolled in the Nurses鈥 Health Study and 48,610 men enrolled in the Health Professionals鈥 Follow-up Study. Participants in these studies completed health questionnaires every two years and diet questionnaires every four years. During that time, 1,036 people developed Parkinson鈥檚. Researchers examined what kinds of dairy each person consumed, including milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, margarine and sherbet. They then looked at whether full-fat dairy, as whole milk, was associated with a risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease; there was no association. However, those who consumed at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day had a 34 percent greater chance of developing Parkinson鈥檚 than people who consumed less than one serving per day. The researchers also found that when looking specifically at skim and low-fat milk consumption, there was a 39 percent greater chance of developing Parkinson鈥檚 for people who consumed more than one serving per day compared to those who consumed less than one serving per week. Eating sherbet or frozen yogurt also was linked to a modest increased risk. In a meta-analysis, looking at a group of studies, the researchers found that total dairy intake was associated with an increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease. The overall conclusions from these studies was that frequent consumption of dairy products was associated with a modest increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease. It is important to note that the risk of developing Parkinson鈥檚 was still very low. Of the 5,830 people who consumed at least three servings per day of low-fat dairy at the start of the study, only 60 people, or 1 percent, developed the disease over the study period. In comparison, of the 77,864 people who consumed less than one serving per day of low-fat dairy, 483 people, or 0.6 percent, developed Parkinson鈥檚. 鈥淔requently consuming low-fat dairy products was associated with a modest increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease,鈥 said Hughes. One limitation of the study was that early Parkinson鈥檚 symptoms may have affected the dietary behaviors and questionnaire responses of study participants. More research is needed before recommendations can be made about dairy consumption. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. To learn more about Parkinson鈥檚 disease, visit www.aan.com/patients.