Updated guidance for dietitians supporting people with Parkinson’s

We’ve reviewed the document in collaboration with dietitians who specialise in the management of patients with Parkinson’s in both acute and community settings. Originally published in 2015, the latest review of this document is designed to support dietitians to provide evidence-based, person-centred treatment to people with Parkinson’s.

Committee members of the Neurosciences Specialist Group of the British Dietetics Association (BDA) contributed to the review. They included:

• Kinga Topolowska, Senior Specialist Neurosciences Dietitian at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Farah Suleman, Nutrition and Dietetics, Specialist Neurology, Dietitian at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

They said: "The revisions to this document began with a change in structure. We moved away from a stage-based approach to Parkinson’s and instead focused on specific symptoms and how to manage them, as many of these can occur at any point in the disease course. 

"We have also reviewed the most up-to-date evidence to ensure all recommendations are evidence-based and current."

The best practice guidelines are intended for dietitians who are new to working with people living with Parkinson’s, or who only have a small number of this patient group on their general caseload. 

The document aims to support dietitians to recognise common symptoms, understand how to manage them, and to confidently answer the questions most frequently asked by patients.