[Stitcher]

Dairy food linked with Parkinson's disease in men

Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:57 PM ET
http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...l_ushealth1100
By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study has confirmed a relationship between consuming large amounts of dairy products and an increase in the rate of Parkinson's disease in men, but the reason for this relationship remains a puzzle.

Researchers found that among more than 130,000 U.S. adults followed for 9 years, those who ate the largest amount of dairy foods had an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a disorder in which movement-regulating cells in the brain die or become impaired.

There was a clear pattern seen among men, whose Parkinson's risk increased in tandem with consumption of diary, particularly milk. The results were more ambiguous among women, however.

The findings, which appear in the American Journal of Epidemiology, echo those of earlier studies that found a link between dairy consumption and Parkinson's in men, but not women.

For now, it's not clear what effect, if any, dairy foods might have on women's risk of the disease. Nor is it known why there is a relationship seen in men, lead study author Dr. Honglei Chen, a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, told Reuters Health.

Larger studies are needed to find out which dairy products might be responsible, and why, according to Chen.

The findings are based on detailed dietary and lifestyle information collected from 57,689 men and 73,175 women who took part in a cancer prevention study. Over 9 years, 250 men and 138 women were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Men with the highest levels of dairy consumption were 60 percent more likely to develop the disease than those who consumed the least amounts of dairy, the study found. Men in the highest-intake group consumed an average of 815 grams of dairy per day, which is roughly equivalent to three to four glasses of milk; those in the lowest-intake group consumed 78 grams of dairy per day, on average.

Milk, rather than dairy products like yogurt and cheese, explained most of the association, according to Chen's team.

This study and previous ones indicate that calcium, vitamin D and fat are not responsible for the link between dairy foods and Parkinson's disease. One theory is that pesticides or other nerve-damaging toxins present in milk could contribute to Parkinson's disease over time. However, dairy foods would likely be only a small part of most people's exposure to these chemicals, according to Chen.

Furthermore, pesticide residues may also be present in other foods, but no other foods were related to Parkinson's disease risk in this study, the researcher noted.

For now, Chen said there is no reason to shun dairy because of the potential relationship to Parkinson's disease. "Given some of the potential health benefits of dairy foods, people can still enjoy their moderate amounts."

However, the researcher added, since the dairy-Parkinson's link has now been seen consistently in different studies, further research is needed to understand why.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, May 1, 2007.

[chasmo]

hot fudge sundaes, oh, on second thought to hell with it!!

Chas

[aftermathman]

conservative fat doctor's who drive Volvos, hate coffee, don't smoke, (except for a bit of weed), don't body build (no Creatine) and eat a lot of cheese ...

I have lost the will to keep up with this PD profiling, (no offense meant Carolyn).

Is anyone still paying for this, if so I believe there is a link between people who take holidays in Barbados and PD. If someone will cover my costs I am happy to visit Barbados a few times to investigate.

Neil (aka Aftermathman).

<Remember always wear a seatbelt, makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of the car>

<4.5 weeks to go until an Emerald is fitted to my baby, (see http://www.emeraldm3d.com/ for details) >.

[Stitcher]

Neil, I just post the "news", I don't necessarily believe it. Hopefully you saw the "Hummmm" I put in front of the title of the post.

That was my way of saying, you have to be kidding...this can't be something someone actually spent money on to figure out...BUT they did

[reverett123]

Again, the bacterial toxin at the center of PD. And since the little guys only release it as they die, pasteurization may be a part of the problem...

1: G Batteriol Virol Immunol. 1980 Jul-Dec;73(7-12):228-33.

[Endotoxin content of samples of pasteurized milk: preliminary findings]
[Article in Italian]

Monno R, Panaro A, Munno I, Palma R.

By Limulus lysate assay, endotoxin was found in pasteurized milk samples from
commercial source. The range was 32 to 128 microgram per ml, without any change
when the samples were refrigerated. By contrast, the endotoxin content rose 512
to 2048 microgram per ml when milk was maintained at room temperature for 24
hours and 1024 to 6400 microgram per ml when samples were examined after 72
hours. These findings suggest a possible clinical implication, and support the
concept that Limulus assay appears to be a rapid, reliable, and sensitive test
for a quality control in commercial milk samples.

PMID: 7198067 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[SherylJ]

Quote from article cited by Carolyn:

"Larger studies are needed to find out which dairy products might be responsible, and why, according to Chen."

If it turns out to be Ben and Jerry's cherry Garcia bars, I don't want to know about it. Actually, I know these are a cure for depression if eaten once daily.

Sheryl

[olsen]

husband does not like dairy products--thinks he is probably a "little lactose intolerant"--

[EnglishCountryDancer]

I was in the bath splashing water over myself and thinking about things when it came to me about this milk business Many whole population do not drink milk and are lactose intolerant and many societies only have it raw.There seems to be room for study there.As we have it in the West: homegenised and pasturised seems most unnatural.