Constipation might signal Parkinson’s
By Nathan Seppa
Constipation is a common problem in people who have Parkinson’s disease. A new study now suggests that men who have constipation in late middle age are more likely to develop Parkinson’s than are those who have more frequent bowel movements.
Between 1971 and 1974, researchers enrolled 8,006 Hawaiian men of Japanese ancestry between ages 45 and 68 in a health study. The scientists recorded the men’s health data and then documented their health status again in the 1990s. In the interim, 96 men developed Parkinson’s disease.