Eating berries may lower risk of Parkinson's

Close to a decade ago, before I had developed Parkinson's symptoms, my integrative doctor told me I should start eating berries. He based this comment on blood test results he was looking at. At the time, I thought that was the strangest thing I had heard in quite a while. "Berries?", I thought. "Aren't very just full of sugar? And some of them such as blackberries have those little tiny grains of sand in them that I guess are seeds. And the blueberries stain my teeth blue." But I did always loved 

strawberries and I used to inhale blueberries as a kid when we went up to the mountains in Pennsylvania and lived on lake Naomi every summer. They had blueberry bushes up there, and we kids loved to run around and harvest those. Typically only about half of the ones we picked made it into the pie. The rest we downed somewhere between the bushes in the backyard and the back door to the house. 

Science Daily

Feb. 17, 2011 

New research shows men and women who regularly eat berries may have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, while men may also further lower their risk by regularly eating apples, oranges and other sources rich in dietary components called flavonoids.

The study was released February 13 and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

Flavonoids are found in plants and fruits and are also known collectively as vitamin P and citrin. They can also be found in berry fruits, chocolate, and citrus fruits such as grapefruit.

The study involved 49,281 men and 80,336 women. Researchers gave participants questionnaires and used a database to calculate intake amount of flavonoids. They then analyzed the association between flavonoid intakes and risk of developing Parkinson's disease. They also analyzed consumption of five major sources of foods rich in flavonoids: tea, berries, apples, red wine and oranges or orange juice. The participants were followed for 20 to 22 years.

More:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110213162726.htm