Dietary habits and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in a cohort of Parkinson’s disease patients in Lithuania

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. A growing body of evidence shows that a healthy diet, including the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), can slow the disease progression and improve certain motor and non-motor symptoms. There is limited knowledge about the dietary habits of patients with PD in Lithuania. We aimed to investigate nutritional habits, adherence to the MeDi, related demographic and disease-related factors in Lithuanian PD patients. Methods The case–control study was conducted at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos from 2023 to 2025. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess dietary habits and construct the MeDi adherence score. Dietary habits and adherence to the MeDi were compared between PD patients and controls. The association between MeDi adherence and the odds of PD, severity of motor and non-motor symptoms, was assessed. Results A total of 59 patients with PD and 54 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The MeDi score in the HC group was slightly higher than in the PD group (31.70 vs. 29.62, p = 0.058), and adherence was low in both groups. Respondents in the PD group consumed fewer potatoes ( p = 0.009) and alcohol ( p = 0.016) and more fruits ( p = 0.012), poultry ( p = 0.004), and olive oil ( p = 0,024). A statistically significant reduction in PD odds emerged after adjustment for smoking, BMI, and physical activity (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.85–0.99, p = 0.042), and remained significant in the fully adjusted model including education and income (OR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.81–0.98, p = 0.025). Higher MeDi adherence was associated with lower odds of pain (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.98), urinary dysfunction (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.99), constipation (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78–0.99), and anxiety (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.99). Conclusion Patients with PD had different dietary habits compared to controls. However, adherence to the MeDi diet was low in the elderly Lithuanian population ( 65 years), including patients with PD. Higher MeDi adherence was associated with lower odds of PD and selected non-motor symptoms in multivariable analyses.