- As much as 31% of the world’s population has metabolic syndrome.
- Past research shows that metabolic syndrome can lead to diseases like Parkinson’s disease.
- A new study provides further evidence of a correlation between metabolic syndrome and Parkinson’s disease risk.
- Researchers found that people with metabolic syndrome were about 40% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those without the condition.
As much as 31% of the world’s population has metabolic syndrome — a combination of several health issues, such as high blood pressure and abdominal obesity, that when blended can raise a person’s risk for several health conditions.
Past research shows that metabolic syndrome can lead to diseases like type 2 diabetes, stroke,
Metabolic syndrome has also been linked to an increased risk for certain neurological conditions like cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
Now, a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, adds to our current body of knowledge with further evidence of a correlation between metabolic syndrome and Parkinson’s disease risk.
For this study, researchers analyzed medical data from the U.K. Biobank of more than 467,000 people with an average age of 57, who were followed for 15 years.
Of that number, 38% of participants had metabolic syndrome, which is defined as having at least three of the following:
- abdominal obesity — involving a waist circumference of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches or more in women
- elevated blood sugar levels — having fasting glucose of 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more
- high blood pressure — amounting to a systolic blood pressure of 130 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or more or a diastolic blood pressure of 85 mmHg or more
- hypertriglyceridemia — high triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dL or more
- low HDL cholesterol levels — less than 40 mg/dL in men or 50 mg/dL in women of “good cholesterol.”
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that study participants with metabolic syndrome were about 40% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people without the syndrome.
“We also found a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease for people with both metabolic syndrome and a genetic susceptibility for Parkinson’s disease,” Weili Xu, PhD, professor of geriatric epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and corresponding author of this study, said in a press release.
“This suggests that maintaining metabolic health may be especially important for people who have genes that increase their risk for Parkinson’s disease,” Xu added.
“Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder among older adults after Alzheimer’s disease, and metabolic syndrome affects an estimated one in four adults and is highly modifiable,” the researcher continued.
“Our findings suggest that metabolic syndrome may be a modifiable risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. Future studies are needed to see whether working to control metabolic syndrome could help prevent Parkinson’s disease.”
– Weili Xu, PhD
Medical News Today had the opportunity to speak with Michael S. Okun, MD, director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health, about this study.
Okun, who was not involved in the study, commented that this research gives us one of the clearest signals yet that metabolic syndrome is more than just a cardiovascular concern — it may also prime the brain for Parkinson’s disease.
“The findings from this paper and accompanying meta-analysis tell us that abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol patterns are not just cardiovascular red flags — they may also accelerate brain neurodegeneration,” Okun explained.
“What is particularly striking is the dose-response relationship. In simple terms the more features of metabolic syndrome you have, the higher your Parkinson’s risk. Those folks carrying four or five components seem to be at the greatest risk,” he pointed out.
“This study suggests that one day soon addressing metabolic health could be a new frontier for Parkinson’s prevention,” he continued. “Interventions targeting obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia may help delay or reduce risk in vulnerable populations.”
“The study will need replication in other cohorts and if the findings hold steady, we will need to begin thinking about how to test this in the real-world,” Okun added. “If we modify the risk factors, can we change the outcome?”
MNT also talked to Daniel Truong, MD, neurologist and medical director of the Truong Neuroscience Institute at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, about this research.
Truong, who likewise was not involved in the research, said that his first reaction to the study’s results was a mix of concern and cautious validation.
“We already know that metabolic syndrome contributes heavily to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and cancer,” he explained. “Now, there is evidence that it also increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease [and] strengthens the argument that metabolic syndrome is not just a vascular or metabolic condition, but a broader systemic disorder with neurological consequences.”
“Parkinson’s disease can smolder for 10–20 years before motor symptoms appear. During this silent phase, people may already experience nonmotor issues — constipation, REM sleep disorder, hyposmia. If we know which other health conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, [gastrointestinal] disease, or chronic inflammation, predispose someone to Parkinson’s disease, we can identify at-risk individuals much earlier and intervene. Prevention is therefore possible.”
– Daniel Truong, MD
“Metabolic syndrome is highly modifiable — the study indirectly raises the possibility that by managing waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol, we may delay or reduce Parkinson’s disease incidence,” Truong continued. “In clinical practice, I would motivate patients to lose weight (and) control hypertension to protect their brain, too. We would be more attentive in obese patients to early Parkinsonian features — slowness, rigidity, [and] subtle tremor.”
