MediPD: An Online Mediterranean Diet Program for People Living With Parkinson's Disease

NCT07838675 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 513675
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The aim of this pilot study is to assess whether an online Mediterranean diet programme called MediPD is acceptable and practical for people living with Parkinson's disease, and whether it can help them make and maintain changes towards a Mediterranean-style diet. The study will include 120 adults living in the United Kingdom with Parkinson's disease who have access to an internet-enabled device and currently have low adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive access to the MediPD online programme, which includes short educational videos, personalised dietary information, practical resources, goal-setting tools, and online dietetic support. The other group will continue with their usual care and will receive access to MediPD after completing the final study assessment. Researchers will compare the groups to see whether MediPD improves adherence to a Mediterranean diet after 24 weeks. The study will also examine dietary intake, non-motor symptoms, quality of life, gastrointestinal symptoms, cognitive function, and how acceptable and practical the programme is to use. Assessments will take place at the start of the study, at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease, Idiopathic

Keywords

Mediterranean Diet; Parkinson Disease; Digital Health; Online Intervention; Feasibility Study; Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial; Non-Motor Symptoms

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Mediterranean Diet Adherence using a Mediterranean Diet Score at 24 Weeks

  Adherence to a Mediterranean diet will be assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), derived from a validated 14-item questionnaire. Total scores range from 0 to 14, with higher scores indicating greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet.

  Baseline to 24 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Change in Mediterranean Diet Adherence using a Mediterranean Diet Score at 12 Weeks

  Baseline to 12 weeks

• Change in self-reported dietary intake using a 24-hour Dietary Recall

  Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

• Change in Parkinson's Disease Non-Motor Symptoms using the Movement Disorder Society Non-Motor Rating Scale (MDS-NMS)

  Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

• Change in reported Gastrointestinal Symptoms using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS)

  Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

• Change in quality of life using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)

  Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

Other Outcomes (2)

• Change in whole-gut transit time using the Blue Poop Challenge (optional assessment)

  Baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks.

• Intervention acceptability using a study-specific semi-structured qualitative interview

  Week 24

Study Arms (2)

MediPD Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive access to the 12-week MediPD online Mediterranean diet behaviour-change program

Behavioral: MediPD Online Mediterranean Diet Program

Wait-List Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will continue to receive their usual care. After completing the final 24-week study assessment, participants in the wait-list control group will be offered access to the MediPD online program for 12 weeks.

Interventions

MediPD Online Mediterranean Diet Program BEHAVIORAL

MediPD is a 12-week online Mediterranean diet behaviour-change programme for people with Parkinson's disease. It provides personalised educational videos, practical resources, self-monitoring tools, and moderated dietetic support. Participants are encouraged to complete at least one module per week, aiming to adopt and maintain Mediterranean-style dietary changes over 24 weeks.

MediPD Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Self-reported idiopathic Parkinson's disease
• Age 18 years or older
• Community-dwelling and resident in the United Kingdom
• Access to an internet-enabled device and an active email address
• Mediterranean Diet Score ≤7/13, indicating low adherence to a Mediterranean diet
• Proficient in English
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Atypical or secondary parkinsonism
• Living in an institution
• Self-reported body mass index \<18.5 kg/m²
• High risk of malnutrition, defined as MUST score ≥2
• Receiving prescribed nutritional support
• Significant cognitive impairment, defined as T-CogS ≤21
• Pregnancy
• Active inflammatory bowel disease
• Dysphagia requiring a pureed diet
• Food allergies that would prevent adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet
• Following a vegan diet that would prevent adherence to the study's Mediterranean-style dietary intervention.
• Current participation in another interventional trial
• Participation in an investigational medicinal product trial within the previous 90 days where this may affect study outcomes or participant burden
• Previous participation in a My Moves Matter dietary programme.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Queen's University, Belfast: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases

Study Officials

• Claire T McEvoy, PhD, Mphil, RD

  Queens University Belfast

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Nicola A Ward, PhD, MSci

CONTACT

+44(0)7823368444; medipd@qub.ac.uk

Sinead O'Hagan, MSc

CONTACT

+44(0)7823368444; medipd@qub.ac.uk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The Principal Investigator and statistician conducting the outcome analysis will remain blinded to treatment allocation. Participants cannot be blinded because of the nature of the online dietary intervention. Group allocation will be revealed to participants following completion of baseline assessments.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr Claire McEvoy, PhD, Mphil, RD, Reader, Nutrition and Ageing Research

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 10, 2026
• First Posted: September 24, 2026
• Study Start: September 28, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 28, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 29, 2028
• Last Updated: September 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09