Resistant starch improves Parkinson's disease symptoms through restructuring of the gut microbiome and modulating inflammation

Brain Behav Immun. 2026 Feb:132:106217. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106217. Epub 2025 Dec 11.

Abstract

Alterations in the gut microbiome and a "leaky" gut are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), which implies the prospect of rebalancing via dietary intervention. Here, we investigate the impact of a diet rich in resistant starch on the gut microbiome through a multi-omics approach. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial with short-term and long-term phases involving 74 PD patients of three groups: conventional diet, supplementation with resistant starch, and high-fibre diet. Our findings reveal associations between dietary patterns and changes in the gut microbiome's taxonomic composition, functional potential, metabolic activity, and host inflammatory proteome response. Resistant starch supplementation led to an increase in Faecalibacterium species and short-chain fatty acids alongside a reduction in opportunistic pathogens. Long-term supplementation also increased blood APOA4 and HSPA5 and reduced symptoms of PD. Our study highlights the potential of dietary interventions to modulate the gut microbiome and improve the quality of life for PD patients.

Keywords: Dietary intervention; Inflammatory proteome; Metabolome; Metagenome; Microbiome; Parkinson’s Disease; Resistant starch.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Dietary Fiber
  • Fatty Acids, Volatile / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / drug effects
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / diet therapy
  • Inflammation / metabolism
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parkinson Disease* / diet therapy
  • Parkinson Disease* / metabolism
  • Parkinson Disease* / microbiology
  • Quality of Life
  • Resistant Starch* / administration & dosage
  • Starch*

Substances

  • Resistant Starch
  • Starch
  • Dietary Fiber
  • Fatty Acids, Volatile