Weight changes and Parkinson's

It’s important to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or underweight can affect your health and wellbeing.

Parkinson’s can sometimes make it harder to keep your weight steady. You may lose or gain weight for different reasons, including your Parkinson’s symptoms or side effects of medication. 

There are things you can try to help manage your weight, but sometimes you may need extra support from a health professional. 

This may include:

• a dietitian, who can check your weight and diet and help you plan meals, snacks, and drinks
• a speech and language therapist, who can suggest safer ways to eat and drink if you have difficulty swallowing
• a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, who can help with posture, comfort, or equipment when eating
• a psychologist or counsellor, who can support you if eating feels stressful or causes difficult emotions.

If you’re unsure what a healthy weight is for you, speak to your GP or Parkinson’s nurse.

Some people with Parkinson’s lose weight without meaning to. If you’re losing weight without trying, it’s important to speak to your GP or Parkinson’s nurse. 

Why weight loss happens

There are a few reasons why people with Parkinson’s may lose weight.

You may find you’re eating less because:

• your sense of smell or taste has changed, so eating feels less enjoyable
• you feel tired, low, or less interested in food or cooking
• some symptoms or medicines cause nausea
• eating or swallowing feels difficult or takes longer
• symptoms such as tremor or stiffness make cooking or preparing food harder
• emotional or social reasons, like anxiety around eating.

These changes can make it harder to eat enough food during the day.

You may also lose weight because your body is using more energy than usual.

This can happen if you have:

• tremor or involuntary movements
• stiffness or muscle tightness.

This means your body may burn more calories, even if the amount you eat has not changed.

Weight loss is not always caused by Parkinson’s. It can sometimes be a sign of other health conditions, such as thyroid problems or digestive conditions. Your GP may want to check for other possible causes.

What may help

If you’re losing weight, you may find it helpful to:

• eat smaller meals more often
• add extra calories to your meals using cheese, healthy fats, nuts, and seeds
• have healthy, high-energy snacks between meals
• have high-calorie drinks between meals, such as milkshakes or smoothies
• include protein in meals using beans, pulses, fish, eggs, and lean meat
• do gentle strength or resistance exercise, such as light weights, bands, or yoga, this may help maintain muscle strength and appetite.

If you’re finding it difficult to maintain your weight or reach a healthy weight, your GP, specialist, or Parkinson’s nurse can refer you to a dietitian. They may recommend tailored changes to your diet and special high-calorie drinks that are available on prescription.

A small number of people with Parkinson’s may develop impulse control behaviours. These are a possible side effect of some Parkinson’s medicines, especially dopamine agonists and levodopa. Your specialist should tell you about this before you start the medication.

This means feeling strong urges that are hard to control. For some people, this can include eating large amounts of food in a short time (binge eating) or eating because of the urge rather than hunger (compulsive eating). You might eat alone or at night and feel guilt or embarrassment afterwards. This may lead to changes in weight.

If you, or people close to you, notice changes in your eating or behaviour, speak to your specialist or Parkinson’s nurse as soon as possible. They can give advice and review or adjust your medication to help manage this.

Read our information on impulse control behaviours in Parkinson’s.