Last update:
11-Mar-2026

Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) diseases are the most widespread neurodegenerative diseases, affecting the daily life, performance and basic functional activities of many millions of people worldwide. The two diseases appear to share common inflammatory and oxidative pathways, which also share common elements with obesity, a well-defined inflammatory condition, involving the peripheral as well as the central nervous system. Also, many nutritionally derived compounds and substances with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential, which appear to intervene in obesity, appear to be involved in AD and PD, while adipose tissue-derived adipokines appear to act towards their promotion. In the present study, an attempt will be made to describe the pathways that link obesity with these diseases at the level of mechanisms and secreted adipokines, while examples of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory natural compounds and drugs with potential against these diseases will be analyzed. In conclusion, neurodegenerative diseases are strongly associated with obesity-induced chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, while bioactive molecules against these conditions, such as curcumin, resveratrol, and lipoic acid, as well as activators of systems such as NRF2 and PPAR-γ, as well as TNF-α inhibitors and known NSAIDs could have a place in the treatment of these diseases.

Key words: Alzheimer disease, Anti-inflammatory compounds, Antioxidants, Obesity, Parkinson disease.