HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Correspondence: View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hu, G. Articles by Tuomilehto, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hu, G. Articles by Tuomilehto, J. Related Collections Nutritional Parkinson's disease/Parkinsonism All epidemiology Risk factors in epidemiology Related Article

Body mass index and the risk of Parkinson disease

From the Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion (G.H., P.J., A.N., J.T.), National Public Health Institute, Helsinki; Department of Public Health (G.H., J.T.), University of Helsinki, Helsinki; Tampere School of Public Health (P.J.), University of Tampere, Tampere; Oulu City Hospital (R.A.), Oulu; Department of Neuroscience and Neurology (A.N., M.K.), University of Kuopio, Kuopio; and South Ostrobothnia Central Hospital (J.T.), Seinäjoki, Finland.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Gang Hu, MD, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland; e-mail: hu.gang{at}ktl.fi.

Objective: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: Study cohorts included 22,367 Finnish men and 23,439 women 25 to 59 years of age without a history of PD at baseline. Hazards ratios (HRs) of incident PD were estimated for different levels of BMI.

Results: During a mean follow-up period of 18.8 years, 272 men and 254 women developed incident PD. After adjustment for confounding factors (age, study years, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, education, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, and alcohol, coffee, and tea consumption), the HRs of PD at different levels of BMI (<23, 23 to 24.9, 25 to 26.9, 27 to 29.9, and 30 kg/m²) were 1.00, 1.97 (95% CI: 1.21 to 3.22), 1.83 (95% CI: 1.12 to 2.99), 2.34 (95% CI: 1.45 to 3.78), and 2.44 (95% CI: 1.44 to 4.15) in men, and 1.00, 1.50 (95% CI: 0.95 to 2.37), 1.65 (95% CI: 1.05 to 2.59), 1.79 (95% CI: 1.15 to 2.80), and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.12 to 2.78) in women, and 1.00, 1.70 (95% CI: 1.23 to 2.37), 1.70 (95% CI: 1.23 to 2.37), 2.02 (95% CI: 1.46 to 2.79), and 2.03 (95% CI: 1.44 to 2.85) in men and women combined (adjusted also for sex). In both sexes combined, the multivariate-adjusted direct association between BMI and the risk of PD was present both in subjects aged 25 to 49 years and 50 to 59 years, in never smokers and smokers and in participants diagnosed PD before and after 65 years of age.

Conclusion: Body mass index is associated with a risk of Parkinson disease. The effect is graded and independent of other risk factors.

Supported by grants from the Finnish Academy (grants 46558, 204274, 205657), The Finnish Parkinson Foundation, and Special Research Funds of the Social Welfare and Health Board, City of Oulu.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received Mach 28, 2006. Accepted in final form August 23, 2006.

Related Article

December 12 Highlights
Neurology 2006 67: 1908-1909. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Z. B. Andrews, D. Erion, R. Beiler, Z.-W. Liu, A. Abizaid, J. Zigman, J. D. Elsworth, J. M. Savitt, R. DiMarchi, M. Tschop, et al. Ghrelin Promotes and Protects Nigrostriatal Dopamine Function via a UCP2-Dependent Mitochondrial Mechanism J. Neurosci., November 11, 2009; 29(45): 14057 - 14065. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Marder, H. Zhao, S. Eberly, C. M. Tanner, D. Oakes, I. Shoulson, and On behalf of the Huntington Study Group Dietary intake in adults at risk for Huntington disease: Analysis of PHAROS Research Participants Neurology, August 4, 2009; 73(5): 385 - 392. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Gao, M. A. Schwarzschild, H. Wang, and A. Ascherio Obesity and restless legs syndrome in men and women Neurology, April 7, 2009; 72(14): 1255 - 1261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Becker, G. P. Brobert, S. Johansson, S. S. Jick, and C. R. Meier Diabetes in Patients With Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Diabetes Care, September 1, 2008; 31(9): 1808 - 1812. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Hu, R. Antikainen, P. Jousilahti, M. Kivipelto, and J. Tuomilehto Total cholesterol and the risk of Parkinson disease Neurology, May 20, 2008; 70(21): 1972 - 1979. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Gao, H. Chen, H. K. Choi, G. Curhan, M. A. Schwarzschild, and A. Ascherio Diet, Urate, and Parkinson's Disease Risk in Men Am. J. Epidemiol., April 1, 2008; 167(7): 831 - 838. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Logroscino, H. D. Sesso, R. S. Paffenbarger Jr, and I-M. Lee Body Mass Index and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study Am. J. Epidemiol., November 15, 2007; 166(10): 1186 - 1190. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Ikeda, H. Kashihara, M. Tamura, O. Kano, K. Iwamoto, Y. Iwasaki, G. Hu, P. Jousilahti, and J. Tuomilehto BODY MASS INDEX AND THE RISK OF PARKINSON DISEASE Neurology, June 12, 2007; 68(24): 2156 - 2157. [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Hu, P. Jousilahti, S. Bidel, R. Antikainen, and J. Tuomilehto Type 2 Diabetes and the Risk of Parkinson's Disease Diabetes Care, April 1, 2007; 30(4): 842 - 847. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Correspondence: