Can long-term alcoholism cause Parkinson’s Disease?

One Comment

1. Mags says:

   August 4, 2010 at 3:35 pm

   What is interesting is that while alcoholism can cause parkinsonian-like symptoms, it is not considered to be a cause of Parkinson’s disease.

   Even more interesting is that life-long consumption of beverages and other items containing aspartame, a source of methanol alcohol or methyl alcohol can most certainly cause parkinsonian symptoms and possibly a diagnosis of PD. It is ethyl alcohol that is found in large quantities in alcoholic drinks and may, in fact offer some protective factors. But methyl alcohol is found in minuscule amounts in alcoholic beverages and in larger quantities if the drink is a mixed drink using a diet soda.

   So it is more likely that a person who is a diet popaholic would develop PD than an alcoholic.

   There have been studies looking for just such a connection: alcoholism and PD and the results were negative just as they have been for smoking and coffee consumption because nicotine and caffeine offer some neuro-protection.

   As you can see from the article below, it is possible that Michael J Fox’s PD developed as a result of the environmental toxins found in diet sodas:
   http://www.rense.com/general2/michael.htm

   Certainly symptoms of PD can appear in alcoholics such as tremors. “Alcoholism, excessive alcohol consumption, or alcohol withdrawal can kill certain nerve cells, resulting in tremor, especially in the hand” per the NIH but keep in mind that one test for essential tremor is to see if it is alcohol responsive – meaning that the tremor may stop with alcohol intake.
   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tremor/detail_tremor.htm

   There are good reasons to avoid excessive alcohol if you already have PD. Balance can be affected in a person who already has postural instability. This could lead to a greater risk of falling which is one of the leading causes of death in people with Parkinson’s disease. This does not put alcohol off-limits to a PwP; it is just that moderation makes sense. Since loss of cognition is a serious possibility with both conditions, it bears consideration.

   People develop PD for a variety of reasons. An alcoholic can also have these risk factors. But there is some small information to support that alcoholism may slightly reduce the risk factor.
   http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/general/articles/parkinsons.htm
   There may also be a genetic link in the risk factors for PD, schizophrenia and alcoholism.
   http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/62680.php