Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)
Parkinson’s Disease, Pesticides, and the Gut Microbiome
December 16, 2021
Interviewee: Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D.
This episode explores how the environment, gut microbiome, and brain interact to influence the development and progression of Parkinson’s disease. We’ll also hear how better understanding these complex interactions can help scientists develop interventions to slow, or even stop, progression of the disease.
(Image Credit: Darryl Leia, NHGRI)
Parkinson’s Disease, Pesticides, and the Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome, comprised of trillions of bacteria and other microbes, affects many aspects of human health, including the brain. These microbes break down and metabolize compounds in the body, including food and chemicals from a person’s environment. This process can make chemicals more or less toxic. Some of the compounds released by the gut microbiome can travel to and enter the brain, where they may promote brain health or play a role in the development of neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Research suggests that the bacteria in the gut of people with Parkinson’s disease differs from those without the disease. Additionally, people often experience gastrointestinal issues decades before they are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, further suggesting the gut may play a role in development of the disease.
In this podcast we’ll hear from Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D., who talks about how the environment, gut microbiome, and brain interact to influence the development and progression of Parkinson’s disease. She also discusses how better understanding these complex interactions can help scientists develop interventions to slow, or even stop, progression of the disease.
Interviewee: Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D.
Beate Ritz, M.D., Ph.D., is an environmental epidemiologist and professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with co-appointments in the UCLA environmental health and neurology departments. Her research focuses on the role of environmental exposures, such as pesticides and air pollution, in Parkinson’s disease and other chronic diseases.
Funded by NIEHS, Ritz leads the Parkinson’s, Environment, and Genes study to examine how agricultural pesticides and genes interact to increase susceptibility to Parkinson's disease. Launched in 2001, this was the first federally funded study of Parkinson's disease focused on rural populations. With additional support from NIEHS, Ritz is now examining how pesticide exposure alters the gut microbiome of Parkinson's disease patients.
Resources:
- Watch presentations from two 2021 workshops hosted by NIEHS that brought together experts on the microbiome, environmental exposures, and brain health:
- Impact of Environmental Exposures on the Microbiome and Human Health (February 2021)
- At the Crossroads of Exposures, Microbiome, and the Nervous SystemAt the Crossroads of Exposures, Microbiome, and the Nervous System (September 2021)
- For summaries of these workshops, check out an April 2021 and October 2021 Environmental Factor article.
- Read a December 2019 Environmental Factor article about Ritz’s research to examine how pesticide exposures and genetics combine to increase risk of Parkinson’s disease.
- Check out NIEHS microbiome webpage to learn more about how the environment and microbiome interact to influence health.
- Learn more about interactions between environmental chemicals and the human microbiome in a December 2017 report, Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Relevant References:
- Chen H and Ritz B. 2018. The search for environmental causes of Parkinson's disease: moving forward. J Parkinsons Dis. 8(s1):S9-S17. [Abstract Chen H and Ritz B. 2018. The search for environmental causes of Parkinson's disease: moving forward. J Parkinsons Dis. 8(s1):S9-S17.]