Hong Kong researchers find links between onset of Parkinson’s and gut microbiome imbalance, marking first step in developing treatments
- Professor says it is unclear whether gut microbiome imbalance is the cause of Parkinson’s disease or if other factors also play a role
- Chinese University study may allow researchers to map disease progression, which may lead to way to prevent it
Gut microbiome imbalance could be linked to the onset of Parkinson’s disease, Hong Kong researchers have found, a discovery that could pave the way for early intervention, prevention and treatment.
A study by Chinese University has shown that people with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease suffer from gut microbiome imbalance – a lack of diversity of bacteria.
Professor Wing Yun-kwok, chairman of the university medical faculty’s department of psychiatry, said the findings showed gut microbiome imbalance could happen at least 20 years before the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
He said it would be the first step in developing treatments to prevent or intervene with the onset of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
“This is only the beginning. This research allows us to identify how microbiome imbalance can lead to Parkinson’s disease, then we are able to map the disease progression, which may tell us how we can prevent this disease,” he explained.
“We have not been able to find a way to prevent Parkinson’s disease. But we are very hopeful that gut health is one of the factors that can be linked to its prevention.”
He said it the discovery would also be useful for screening patients with a high risk of Parkinson’s disease.
But Wing said it was unclear whether gut microbiome imbalance was the cause of Parkinson’s disease or if other factors such as genes and lifestyle also played a role.