A new study has revealed that the regular consumption of foods and drink that are rich in substances called flavonoids, such as berries, apples, tea and red wine, may be useful for reducing the risk of a man of developing Parkinson’s disease by 40 percent.
The study also revealed that a reduction in risk for women was only seen when they ate at least several servings of berries a week.
“For total flavonoids, the beneficial result was only in men. But, berries are protective in both men and women,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Xiang Gao, a research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and an associate epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“Berries could be a neuroprotective agent. People can include berries in their regular diet. There are no harmful effects from berry consumption, and they lower the risk of hypertension too,” Gao added.
The study results are published online April 4 in the journal Neurology.
Dr. Michael Okun, medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, said, “It is exciting to see research emerging about modifiable dietary issues that may affect the risk of getting diseases such as Parkinson’s.”
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