Return-path: [log in to unmask] From: [log in to unmask] Full-name: PHL1037 Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:49:08 EDT Subject: proper amount of protein intake To: [log in to unmask] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 13 I am newly (5 months) diagnosed and now that my initial period of denial is over I am attempting to augment the information given to me by my doctor whose lack of specific information in response to my questions is startling. So I bought a book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by Balch and Balch. The advice in this book is to "reduce your intake of protein, especially if you are taking levodopa....Try to limit your protein consumption to 7 grams PER DAY (emphasis mine), consumed mostly at dinner. Eat barley, tofu, yogurt, beans, lentils and other sources of protein instead of meat and poultry." I thought about that for a few days, worried about it for a few days more, and decided that if I followed that regime, malnutrition would get me before PD did, so I kept looking. On a website entitled "Parkinsn Current Topics" in a paper entitled "Dietary Factors in the Management of Parkinson's Disease", by P.A. Kempster, MD. and M.L. Wahlqvist, M.D. (www.ionet.net/~jcott/homepage/archive/097.html), I read (among other things), "...that protein restricted to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) level of 0.8 g/kg/day allowed a better response to L-dopa than a usual protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day. However, the most effective dietary strategy involves redistribution of protein intake. This requires protein to be virtually excluded in food taken during the day (protein content restricted to 7 g with daily protein requirement being made up in a high protein evening meal." This report was, however, undated, and most of the footnotes contained references which were many years old. This observation may be significant in light of my next line of inquiry. I decided to order some books on diet and menu and found two to order. The first was recently ordered on-line, "Eat Well, Stay Well with Parkinson's Disease" by Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD. This is not yet received so I don't know its advice. The second had to be ordered by Phone from Fazzini Parkinson Disease and Dystonia/Botulinum Injection Center. They also suggest that while ordering, one can speak with a dietitian. I called and ordered and wound up speaking to the "Dietitian's Assistant" (who was also, by the way, the order clerk) and asked her the questions I am asking in this missive. She said that the information to limit breakfast and lunch is about 7 years out of date and that current thinking was to limit protein to 1 g/kg/day and to spread consumption evenly throughout the day and throughout the food groups. She also said that dietitians look for a carbohydrate/protein ratio of 7:1. Does anyone out there know if there is a "school" solution or does it vary with severity of disease or timing of medication or other parameters of which I am not aware. Thank you. Paul H Lauer