Episode 43: Parkinson's Disease & the Gut-Brain Connection
Healthily | 08/28/26
In this episode of the Healthily Podcast, Nicola Moore speaks with Dr Kirstie Lawton, a registered nutritional therapy practitioner and registered nutritionist specialising in Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease. Together they explore what Parkinson's disease is, why non-motor symptoms can appear years before diagnosis, and the emerging science suggesting the condition may begin in the gut. Kirstie shares practical, hopeful guidance on how nutrition can support people living with Parkinson's alongside conventional medical care.
TAKEAWAYs
✔️ Parkinson's disease is linked to a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra, an area in the midbrain
✔️ Non-motor symptoms such as constipation, anxiety, loss of smell and sleep disturbance can appear 10–20 years before a formal diagnosis
✔️ Misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins have been found in gut and nasal tissue long before Parkinson's symptoms begin, suggesting a gut-first origin for some people
✔️ Only around 10% of Parkinson's cases have a known genetic cause; environmental exposure appears to play a significant role for many others
✔️ Pesticide and industrial solvent exposure (including rotenone, paraquat and TCE) has been linked to increased Parkinson's risk
✔️ Nutritional strategies — including levodopa timing around protein intake, the Mediterranean diet, and reducing inflammatory foods — can meaningfully support people living with Parkinson's
✔️ Gut health and regular bowel movements are essential for the body's ability to clear toxins
✔️ It is never too late to start supporting the body nutritionally, even with an advanced diagnosis
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