Gut microbiome can reveal risk of Parkinson’s, scientists say

The signature changes to the microbiome could help doctors spot patients at risk of Parkinson’s years before they display clear symptoms. Photograph: Oleksandra Troian/Getty Images

Changes to microbes that live in the gut can identify people at greater risk of Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms develop, according to work that also raises hopes for new therapies.

Researchers discovered signature changes in the gut microbiome that are more pronounced in people with a genetic risk for Parkinson’s and even more stark in those diagnosed with the disease.