BackgroundAppetite dysregulation in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) appears to be linked to physical and cognitive deterioration. PD patients with and without cognitive impairment (CI) were compared to an age-matched control group to explore predictors of appetite control in fasting and post-prandial conditions. MethodsFifty-five patients were recruited and divided into three groups: twenty controls (age: 74y, BMI: 25.8kg/m2), nineteen PD patients without CI (72.5y, 25.1kg/m2) and sixteen PD patients with CI (74.3y, 24.0kg/m2). Self-reported appetite perception and circulating blood metabolic biomarkers were measured in fasting and over a three-hour post-prandial period. Biomarkers included glucose, insulin, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), leptin, acyl-ghrelin, total ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY), glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1), insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth factor (GF) and triglycerides. Patients were then provided with a mixed meal to eat ad libitum with the aim to evaluate links between metabolic biomarkers and control of energy intake. ResultsPD patients with CI had a significant lower protein intake (7.4±2.5g, p=0.01) compared to controls (21.9±3.1g) and PD patients without CI (14.3±3.0g). Post-prandial plasma GLP-1 concentrations were associated with decreased hunger perception (B±SE, -5.3±2.4mm·hour-1, p=0.04). PYY concentrations were significantly associated with GLP-1 in fasting (r=0.40, p=0.005) and post-prandial (r=0.46, p<0.001) conditions. In a multivariate model, post-prandial PYY concentrations were a significant predictor of ad libitum energy intake in all subjects (B±SE, -87.5±34.9kcal, p=0.01) and in patients with PD (B±SE, -106.8±44.9kcal, p=0.04). ConclusionsPYY and GLP-1 appeared to influence appetite control in PD patients and their roles merit further investigation.
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