Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- The age-old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may have more truth to it than previously thought. A new study suggests that eating certain fruits could help ward off Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson's disease is on the rise. But now there may be a way to reduce the probability of getting the disorder of the central nervous system.
Research from Harvard University suggest that eating foods such as berries and apples, and drinking tea and red wine may protect you against the disease. That's because these food and drink items are rich in flavonoids, a water-soluble pigment, that help decrease the onset of Parkinson's.
Researchers studied around 130,000 men and women for over 20 years, and 800 developed Parkinson's.
Among men, there was a 40-percent decrease in contracting Parkinson's disease for those who ate the most flavonoids compared to those who ate the least.
Eating berries more than five times a week apparently had the strongest benefit – but only for men. It’s unclear why flavonoids have no measurable impact on preventing Parkinson's disease for women.
