Why Some Centenarians Avoid Parkinson's Disease: A Closer Look

Recent findings in brain health are moving away from just diagnosing movement issues like Parkinson’s Disease (PD), focusing more on how to manage them effectively. This shift is happening because PD is becoming more common worldwide due to people living longer. One curious fact is that centenarians, people who live to be 100 or more, often don’t get PD. This is interesting because age is usually a big factor in developing the disease. Researchers are looking at places called Blue Zones, where many people live to be over 100, to understand why this happens. They believe that genetics, how people live their lives, and their environment play a big part in staying healthy and maybe even avoiding PD.An important concept here is “hormesis. ” It’s like a small amount of stress can make you stronger. For centenarians, things like what they eat, how much they move, sleep, and how they protect themselves from harm might be making them resilient to PD. Using this idea, scientists suggest a simple plan: “EAT, MOVE, SLEEP, PROTECT, and REPEAT. ” This means having a healthy diet, staying active, getting good sleep, protecting yourself, and doing it all again every day. This could help lower the risk of getting PD. Centenarians show us that delaying brain decline is possible. Their experiences could give us valuable hints for designing future trials to prevent PD.