Consuming three servings of low-fat dairy every day may increase an individual's risk of developing Parkinson's disease by more than 30 percent, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.
For the study, researchers examined approximately 25 years of health data on 80,736 women and 48,610 men enrolled in separate studies. Participants in both studies filled out health questionnaires every two years and questionnaires about their diet every four years. Over the course of the study period, 1,036 people developed Parkinson's.
While full-fat dairy such as whole milk displayed no association with Parkinson's, individuals who consumed three servings of low-fat dairy every day had a 34 percent greater chance of developing Parkinson's than study participants who consumed less than one serving a day. When assessing for skim and low-fat milk specifically, researchers found individuals who consumed more than one serving of these products daily carried a 39 percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's than individuals who consumed less than one serving of these products weekly.
"Our study is the largest analysis of dairy and Parkinson's to date," said Dr. Katherine Hughes, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "The results provide evidence of a modest increased risk of Parkinson's with greater consumption of low-fat dairy products. Such dairy products, which are widely consumed, could potentially be a modifiable risk factor for the disease."
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