[Effect of a controlled low-protein diet on the pharmacological response to levodopa and on the plasma levels of L-dopa and amino acids in patients with Parkinson's disease]

Abstract

Levodopa is the treatment of choice in Parkinson's disease, but a high percentage of patients develop complications in the response, including fluctuations, after some years of treatment. Although the origin of fluctuations is unknown, these could be, at least partly, attributed to pharmacokinetic factors. Aromatic aminoacids interfere in the absorption and brain penetration of levodopa, and lowering protein intake improves the quality of the response. The continuation of a low-protein diet is difficult for some patients. In this way, to know if these diet effects are noticeable in an acute period would be interesting, in order to select groups of patients who were susceptible to improve with this treatment. In this report we have studied the acute effect of a low protein diet on the pharmacological response to levodopa, and the plasmatic levels of L-Dopa, 3-OM-Dopa and large neutral aminoacids. Protein restriction improves clinical response to levodopa, although the mechanisms of this improvement remain unknown.