A new study led by University College London researchers suggests specific bacteria in the gut could predict a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease years before symptoms appear.
The observational study, published in Nature Medicine, analyzed gut microbes from 271 Parkinson’s patients, 43 carriers of the GBA1 gene variant (linked to a 30-times higher risk), and 150 healthy controls. Over one-quarter of gut microbes showed significant differences in Parkinson’s patients. Notably, even asymptomatic gene carriers had microbial changes resembling an intermediate disease stage, indicating changes occur before motor symptoms.
Researchers also found that participants eating a more diverse, balanced diet had lower risk-associated microbiome patterns. The findings were consistent across 1,400 people in the U.K., Korea, and Turkey.
“There is an urgent need to develop treatments that can stop or slow the disease’s progression,” said lead author Professor Anthony Schapira of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Neurologists not involved in the study noted that severe constipation, a gut abnormality, often appears years before tremors.
The study was funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and the UK Medical Research Council. Limitations include the observational nature, meaning it cannot prove causation, and the potential for genetic or environmental factors to influence outcomes.