Study links low-fat dairy to Parkinson’s disease

A new study has identified a possible link between the consumption of low-fat dairy products and an elevated risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

The Harvard University research analysed approximately 25 years of data on 80,736 women and 48,610 men, who completed health questionnaires every two years and diet questionnaires every four years.

Those who consumed at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day had a 34 percent greater chance of developing Parkinson's than people who consumed less than one serving. When looking specifically at skimmed and low-fat milk consumption, there was a 39 percent higher chance of Parkinson's for people consuming more than one serving per day, compared to those whose intake was less than once per week.

Eating sherbet or frozen yoghurt also was linked to a modest increased risk, whereas no such risk was seen for full-fat milk.

It was noted, however, that more research is needed before recommendations can be made about dairy consumption, and that the overall risk of developing Parkinson's remained low.

Katherine Hughes of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston said: "The results provide evidence of a modest increased risk of Parkinson's 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."

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