Does Proper Nutrition Help People With Huntington’s Disease? – Cleveland Clinic

Maintaining a balanced diet that delivers the vitamins and nutrients your body needs is a rule of thumb for everyone. But that is a particularly important aspect of life for people with Huntington’s disease.

Huntington’s disease is a hereditary disease in which a mutated gene produces an abnormally long protein that attacks and kills brain cells. This causes the movements of the hands, feet, and face to become uncontrollable and worsen over time, affecting walking, speaking, and even swallowing abilities.

Symptoms of Huntington’s disease produce spillover effects that affect all aspects of a person’s life, including nutrition. To better understand these dietary and nutritional needs, we spoke with registered nutritionist Nicole Hopseger, RD.

How Does Huntington’s Disease Affect Nutrition?

Hopseger says that the main way Huntington’s disease affects nutrition is due to the typical symptoms of Huntington. “These symptoms affect a person’s dietary abilities and can lead to malnutrition and weight loss,” she says.

The symptoms are:

• Chorea: This is a movement disorder that causes involuntary, irregular, and unpredictable muscle movements that can make it difficult for a person to prepare food or eat properly. “Chorrea is thought to consume extra energy and requires more nutrition for the patient to maintain weight,” says Hopsecger. “If someone needs that extra nutrition, but it’s difficult to eat, it can also cause a major energy shortage.”
• Dysphagia: This is difficult to swallow and may be affected by chorea. Not only can it cause pain, but it can also reduce food intake due to the risk of choking, avoid difficult-to-swallow foods, and increase eating time.
• Psychological changes: “Changes in cognitive function and the development of dementia can lead to forgetting to eat or causing difficulties when someone is trying to learn a new way to eat,” says Hopsecger.

Both butoh and dysphagia can increase the risk of choking in people with Huntington’s disease. Whether swallowed too quickly or causing spasms in the diaphragm (chest), it can lead to aspiration (instead of food or drink entering the lungs) in the stomach). As a result, it can lead to aspiration pneumonia.

What changes can a person with Huntington’s disease face?

Specific changes and approaches to nutrition for people with Huntington’s disease depend on what stage they are in.

Early stage

“In the early stages, it’s important to have a balanced diet to maintain weight stability,” says Hopseger.

Mediterranean-dash interventions for a delayed neurodegenerative (MIND) diet have been associated with slower cognitive decline in general population studies, which may be worth a look. However, Hopsecger states that it is unclear if there will be similar effects in this situation, as there are few studies on diet and its effects on patients with Huntington’s disease.

Middle stage

At this point in Huntington’s disease, a person may be beginning to experience an increase in dysphagia, but the problem varies from person to person. Maintaining a balanced diet is important, but adapting food choices can also make a big difference for people with Huntington’s disease.

“Changing dietary consistency may help in the light of its dysphagia,” Hopsecger recommends. “The liquid can be thickened. The food can be moistened, chopped or pureed to make it easier and safer for the patient to swallow.”

Late

Again, the severity of a person’s condition varies on a case-by-case basis, but late-stage people with Huntington’s disease may require a high degree of nutritional support. Whether it’s getting help from someone while eating or, in more harsh situations, having a feeding tube-it’s essential to make sure that those important nutrients and vitamins are in the diet ..

Recommended food for people with Huntington’s disease

People with Huntington’s disease need to make various nutritional choices due to the conditions associated with Huntington’s disease. Talking to a major healthcare provider or registered dietitian is the best way to find the best personalized diet for people with Huntington’s disease.

Add extra calories

A balanced diet is essential for overall health, but people with Huntington’s disease may need additional calories. “People with Huntington’s disease may need more calories than the average person because of chorea and other potential metabolic factors,” explains Hopsecger.

Healthy fats are a good source of these calories, says Hopsecger. They help increase the number of calories burned and balance eating small amounts of food. Here is an example:

Add protein

People with Huntington’s disease are at risk of losing weight because they use extra energy and are less likely to be unable to perform physical activity. Unintentional weight loss (lossing weight without trying) can lead to loss of muscle mass. Losing muscle in this scenario is completely unavoidable, but a protein-rich diet helps ensure that there is no muscle loss due to undernourishment.

“Foods that meet these energy and protein needs are very important for patients with Huntington’s disease,” says Hopseger. “The brain is nourished first. If the diet does not provide enough energy to the brain and the rest of the body, the adipose tissue is broken down for energy. When the fat stores are exhausted, the body It destroys muscle tissue for energy. It is because of this metabolic process that it is important to meet the needs of both energy and protein. “

Examples of protein-rich foods are:

• poultry.
• Fish and other seafood.
• Lean lean meat.
• egg.
• cheese.
• Yogurt.
• milk.
• beans.
• Tofu.
• Tempeh.

Keep things soft

Again, because it’s difficult to swallow, soft and moist foods such as canned fruits, smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, and casseroles are a good way to package all these basic nutrients, especially with fruits and vegetables. is.

Foods to Avoid for Huntington’s Disease

With Huntington’s disease, food consistency is a concern (such as thick, chunky, coarse, or dry food). “People with Huntington’s disease need to avoid foods that are at risk of aspiration (sucking food into the airways) and other dysphagia (exacerbating),” says Hopsecger.

These foods are:

• Raw fruit.
• Filamentous vegetables.
• Tough and unfriendly bread.
• Granola.
• Tough and dry meat.
• Dried fruit.
• nuts.

For people with Huntington’s disease, diet and nutrition may need to be personalized. Meeting a speech therapist or registered dietitian is the best way to make these changes.

Other tips for maintaining proper nutrition in Huntington’s disease

Eating smaller and more frequent meals is an important way to maintain nutrition for Huntington’s disease. “This helps manage anorexia and malaise that can calm down with longer meals and dysphagia,” Hopsecger advises.

She suggests that dietary supplements like protein shakes may also be an option to add to or between meals. Always consult your healthcare provider and registered dietitian for more information on what works best.

Hopsecger is careful not to fill up with water, even if you drink between meals.

Finally, consider using high-calorie items for meals and light meals. For example, use whole milk or cream containing cereals or melted margarine or cheese in cooked vegetables. It not only keeps food soft, but also provides a calorie balance along with the nutrients needed by people with Huntington’s disease.

Tools and dishes to use

People with Huntington’s disease may consider using a variety of dishes and kitchen tools to meet their specific needs.

• A blender or food processor to prepare a protein shake and puree the food for easier consumption.
• A dish with a higher side so that you can get more food with cookware.
• A tool with a large handle that is easy to handle.
• A sports cup to prevent spills.

Huntington’s disease can prevent many challenges in maintaining proper nutrition. However, not only using these tools, but also following the suggestions for extra calories and balanced health foods can improve the quality of life for people with Huntington’s disease.