Source: J Neurol Sci. 2010 Jan, 15

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neuromotor disorder resulting from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. Most people know about Parkinson’s through the celebrities who have had it, such as Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox, but as yet little is known about how Parkinson’s develops. A 2010 Japanese study that investigated the relationship between fatty acids and the risk of Parkinson’s disease found that one fatty acid, which usually comes from animal dietary sources, is “significantly related” to an increased risk of Parkinson’s.

This study used dietary history questionnaires to compare the intake of fatty acids in populations with and without neurodegenerative disease. It found no association between Parkinson’s and most dietary fatty acids (including total fat and saturated fatty acids), but it did suggest that higher consumption of one source of animal-based cholesterol, arachidonic acid, may be related to this serious degenerative neurological disorder.