As a Dietitian diagnosed with PD, I was really looking forward to attending the networking session for Dietitians and Nutritionists at WPC 2019 in Kyoto. However, there was none available due to the lack of Dietitians attending. I applied to become a WPC ambassador for Barcelona, and we had to set ourselves goals. My goals included having a Dietitian/Nutritionist networking session in Barcelona.

Why does it matter? For too long, nutrition has been overlooked in the management of Parkinson’s.

Many symptoms of Parkinson’s can adversely affect peoples’ ability to eat well; these include fatigue, swallowing difficulties, and worsening dexterity. Gastrointestinal health is also affected, and constipation has been reported time and time again as affecting quality of life. These can all lead to weight changes, poor nutritional health, and worse outcomes. In addition, people with Parkinson’s are rightly asking for more dietary education and information which is based on the science. We need to do better!

In a recent survey I carried out with PwP globally, 82% rated diet as important in their PD care but 60% rated their knowledge of diet for PD as poor/average. 30% had lost weight unintentionally since diagnosis. However, only 16% were ever referred to a Dietitian. And from research we know that only 11-15% of PwP have ever had access to a Dietitian. In focus groups PwP reported that neurologists do not speak to them or provide information on diet and Dietitians appear to provide conflicting information.

Now is the time to get together and address these issues. We need high quality, robust research studies and trials to better understand the role of nutrition in the management of Parkinson’s and to develop evidence-based strategies to improve health.

If you are a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or work with PwP or PD research and have an interest in all thing’s nutrition, please join the conversation. We will discuss research priorities in nutrition and Parkinson’s and develop an action plan at the conclusion of the workshop. Pre-registration is required, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Come and join us at the WPC Health Professionals Networking Session for Dietitians on Wednesday 5th July, 6.30-8.30pm.

Richelle Flanagan, WPC Ambassador, Registered Dietitian, Co-Founder My Moves Matter
Fiona Lithander, Registered dietitian and Associate Professor in Nutrition, University of Auckland
View the Scientific Program here.

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®