Obesity-Related Type 2 Diabetes and Parkinson's Go Hand-In-Hand

Should you need any more evidence that the ripple effect of the obesity epidemic runs is deeper than you ever imagined, you'll want to review this interesting study about the effect type 2 diabetes, brought on by holding onto too many pounds, can do to exacerbate their risk of Parkinson's disease.

As researchers monitored the health of more than 50,000 Finnish patients between ages 25-75 over the 18-year study, 633 men and women also developed Parkinson's. As they delved further into the medical histories of that specific patient group, type 2 diabetes emerged as a common denominator, as those with that condition were 83 percent more prone to succumbing to Parkinson's.

Because this heightened risk remained after ruling out BMI, smoking, physical activity and alcohol intake, the senior researcher theorized, rightly, that too many pounds, as identified in previous studies, may tip the scales closer to Parkinson's. That makes great sense, considering the growing number of Americans suffering from serious neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's.

Conveniently some of the tools you'd use to fight type 2 diabetes, eating foods your body burns best according to its unique nutritional type and reducing, with the plan of eliminating, your intake of grains and sugars, can be just as effective in taming your obesity and Parkinson's risks.