Can What We Eat Influence Parkinson’s? From the Gut to the Brain
From the Gut to Inflammation
When we think about Parkinson’s disease, we usually think first about the brain. Tremor, stiffness, and slowed movement seem to point us directly there. Yet, to better understand Parkinson’s, we may also need to look beyond the brain.
One place that has attracted particular interest is the gut.
Gastrointestinal problems such as constipation can appear years before some motor symptoms. Studies have also found changes in gut bacteria, the intestinal barrier, and inflammatory responses in people with Parkinson’s.
These findings raise a fascinating question: could what is happening in our gut influence what happens in our brain?
The gut does more than digest food. Its surface acts as a barrier, absorbing needed nutrients while keeping bacteria and other substances inside the intestine.
When this barrier becomes disrupted, some components produced by gut bacteria can come into greater contact with our immune system and trigger an inflammatory response.
But why is inflammation important when we talk about Parkinson’s?
Inflammation is a normal, necessary response: it helps us fight infections and repair damaged tissue. The problem arises when it remains active for too long or is not properly controlled.
In Parkinson’s, inflammatory changes can occur both outside and inside the brain. Persistent inflammation may make neurons more vulnerable and promote processes associated with disease progression. This does not mean that inflammation alone causes Parkinson’s; it may be one of several contributing factors.
This is why it is so interesting to understand what might be feeding that inflammation and how the gut could be contributing to it.
The Bacteria That Live With Us
Our gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, which together form what we call the gut microbiota.
These bacteria are not simply passengers. They use components of our food and produce substances that can interact with gut cells and the immune system, and even generate signals that influence other organs.
When researchers compare people with and without Parkinson’s, they find differences in these bacterial communities. However, we still cannot identify a single combination of bacteria that could be called “the Parkinson’s microbiota.” We do not yet know whether these changes are a consequence of the disease or actively contribute to it.
But we do know something particularly interesting: what we eat can change this intestinal ecosystem.
And that brings us to something we all do every day: eat.
What We Eat Also Changes Our Gut
Talking about a “high-fat diet” can be misleading because not all fats have the same effects. Olive oil, nuts, and fish, for example, contain mainly unsaturated fats and are part of generally healthy dietary patterns.
In contrast, dietary patterns high in saturated fats and highly processed foods, together with a low intake of fiber, fruits, and vegetables, can promote inflammatory processes.
In experimental models, this type of diet can alter gut bacteria and weaken the structures that hold the cells of the intestinal barrier together. This can make it easier for bacterial products to interact with the immune system and trigger inflammation.
Of course, this does not mean that eating certain foods causes Parkinson’s.
The question that interests me is different: if intestinal and inflammatory changes can occur in Parkinson’s, and what we eat can influence these same processes, could our diet help reduce some of this inflammatory environment?
Can Food Help Reduce Inflammation?
The Mediterranean diet provides an interesting example. Its main components - vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish, and olive oil - provide fiber, unsaturated fats, and compounds that can influence both gut bacteria and the immune system.
Importantly, this goes beyond simply considering the Mediterranean diet to be “healthy.” Studies in people have shown that following this type of dietary pattern can reduce different signs of inflammation in the body.
This does not mean that the Mediterranean diet can prevent or stop Parkinson’s. We still need much more research before we can know whether changing what we eat can truly influence disease progression.
But it does demonstrate something fundamental: what we eat can influence inflammatory processes in our body. And if inflammation and the gut play a role in Parkinson’s, it is worth asking whether nutritional strategies could help modify this environment.
Following the Path from the Gut to the Brain
This is where experimental models can help us.
In our research group, we use preclinical models of Parkinson’s to study the connection between the gut, inflammation, and the brain.
These models allow us to change one factor, such as diet, and follow what happens throughout the body - something much harder to study directly in people.
The question can be quite simple: by changing the diet, improving the intestinal environment, and reducing inflammation, could we also influence what happens in the brain?
There is still a great deal to learn, but these models allow us to begin understanding how processes once studied separately may be connected.
The goal is not to find a food capable of “curing” the disease or to create a list of “good” and “bad” foods. It is to understand whether something as everyday and modifiable as diet could influence some processes that accompany the disease.
Perhaps in the future we will better understand what type of diet may be beneficial, for whom, and at what stage. Nutritional strategies could even become a complementary tool alongside treatments that act directly on the disease.
For a long time, we have tried to understand Parkinson’s by looking mainly at the brain.
Perhaps some of the answers we are searching for are much further away from it than we imagined.
Or perhaps they are as close as our next meal.
Felipe Andrés Grunenwald Bravo, PhD is a researcher at Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) in Barcelona, Spain. He presented his abstract at the WPC 2026 and was part of the poster tour program.
Find him on LinkedIn at Felipe Grunenwald
Ideas and opinions expressed in this post reflect that of the author(s) solely. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the World Parkinson Coalition®