THE PARKINSON’S PERSPECTIVE Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 3
May/June 2016
Serving OR and S. WA
PROTEIN REDISTRIBUTION DIET ENSURING MAXIMUM ABSORPTION OF L-DOPA - CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTA KNOX, MA MSCN in turn, it becomes an ineffective partner in the management of your PD symptoms.3 The good news though, is that you can time your protein around your medication so you can have the body-supporting protein and the benefits of L-Dopa. This timing will ensure that they knock on the BBB door at different times. This way of eating is called the Protein Redistribution Diet (PRD).4 When digested, protein is broken down into the building blocks of life - amino acids. They give cells their structure, transport nutrients, and they have an influence on the function of organs, neurotransmitters, glands, tendons and arteries.1 Amino acids also are essential for healing wounds and repairing tissue.
Amino Acids & Protein
There’s only one problem though…the amino acids in protein compete with the absorption of Leva-Dopa.2 What does this mean exactly? Your body is very protective of what can get into your central nervous system. It has a blood brain barrier (BBB) to regulate substances that can enter your neurological system. The issue at hand is that L-Dopa uses the same transporter to enter the brain as do long chain amino acids, which are found in certain sources of protein.2 When they both arrive at the BBB at the same time and knock, the gatekeepers of the BBB can let only one in at a time, and the amino acids are prioritized, leaving your L-Dopa unable to cross the BBB and,
Protein from different sources contain different amino acid compositions, so it is important to vary the protein you eat, as our bodies can only make about half of the amino acids. The others are essential amino acids and must come from the food we eat. The American guidelines for protein are 0.8 g/kg body weight (0.36g/ pound).1,5,6 Complete protein sources are foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. Sources of complete proteins include: meat, dairy, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, the grain quinoa (keen-wah), and soy. Plant-based (incomplete) proteins include: beans, seeds, nuts, tempeh, tofu, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli,
chia and hemp seeds, lentils, and hummus. Combine plant proteins to get all of your essential amino acids.7 These foods do not need to be eaten during the same meal just over the course of the day (i.e., have rice in the morning and beans with dinner). And remember that interference with L-Dopa is greater with meat proteins than plant proteins. This is due to the fact that meat proteins are more slowly absorbed than plant proteins, and they contain larger amino acids.1 Protein Redistribution Diet
The American Academy of Neurology recommends the redistribution of daily protein meal content to PD patients during L-Dopa treatment.4 They found that there was not enough evidence to support the use of a limited protein diet and that the response to a PRD was tolerated well. Overall, PRD resulted in improved motor function.4 By restricting protein during the day, when a person needs to be active, the effects of L-Dopa are maximized. If not following the PRD, try to take L-Dopa one hour before or after meals to improve the (continued on page 2)
MAY/JUNE 2016
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