Constipation is a common complication and non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and affects up to 80% of people with PD. It is in fact within the non-motor symptoms that nutrition and dietetic intervention could have the greatest impact. Research suggests that increasing the amount of fibre in the diet could help to alleviate the effects of constipation. Inulin is a type of fibre widely found in a variety of vegetables, and recent studies have shown that inulin can improve constipation in people with PD.

The PROtein enriched MEDiterranean Diet and EXercise (PROMED-EX) randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to determine the efficacy of a protein-enriched Mediterranean diet, with and without exercise, in comparison with standard care, on nutritional status and cognition in adults at risk of undernutrition with subjective cognitive decline. The project will explore the mechanistic pathways in diet-exercise induced change in nutritional status and cognition.