Increased Intake of Fast-Acting Carbohydrates in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Background: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) regularly report an increased desire for food or beverages with high sugar content. Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis of an increased intake of fast-acting carbohydrates in PD patients. Methods: This study investigated the consumption of high-sugar content food products in 221 PD patients compared with 184 healthy controls using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Male PD patients reported a significantly more often high consumption of chocolate (p = 0.005) and other sweets (p < 0.001) than healthy controls. Moreover, PD patients with a high intake of these products showed a significantly longer disease duration (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Our study confirmed changes in intake of fast-acting carbohydrates derived from sweets in PD. Future studies should address the observed association with disease progression to understand underlying pathophysiological mechanisms leading to this behavioral change. (c) 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel