Association between food insecurity and Parkinson’s disease: A cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative data

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that imposes a substantial burden on patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Food insecurity, defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food, has been associated with multiple chronic health conditions; however, its relationship with PD has not been well explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between food insecurity and PD using nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007 to 2018. A total of 25,714 participants were included after excluding individuals with incomplete information. Household food insecurity was assessed using the U.S. Food Security Survey Module and categorized into four levels: full, marginal, low, and very low food security. Weighted logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between food insecurity and PD while adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health-related covariates. The results showed that food insecurity was significantly associated with higher odds of PD (adjusted OR 1.85; 95% CI 1.26-2.74; P = .0002). In the four-category analysis, compared with full food security, low food security (OR 2.01; 95% CI 1.24-3.25; P = .005) and very low food security (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.23-3.68; P = .01) were associated with increased odds of PD, whereas marginal food security was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that severe food insecurity may represent a modifiable risk factor for Parkinson's disease, highlighting the importance of public health interventions aimed at improving food access and reducing the burden of PD.