Dr. Silke Appel Cresswell discusses the importance of proper nutrition for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). She examines the gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the digestive tract, and its potential role in PD. She also discusses how the microbiome may cause inflammation, which could negatively impact immune responses, damage brain cells, and cause other health problems. Dr. Cresswell compares what the microbiome may look like in those living with PD versus a control group. Research on foods that may offer a protective benefit against PD is also discussed.
Dr. Silke Appel Cresswell is a movement disorder neurologist, Associate Professor and Marg Meikle Professor in Parkinson’s disease at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and the UBC Movement Disorder Clinic/Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. She serves as president of the Canadian Movement Disorder Group, as the director of the annual National Canadian Neurology Residents Course for Movement Disorders, and is co-founder and director of the BC Brain Wellness Program as well as co-director of the Canadian Course for Ultrasound Guidance of injection therapy in dystonia. She serves on the Educational Committee of the Pan-American Section of the Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society and is a recipient of the UBC/Medicine Master Teacher Award.
