More Berries, Red Wine in Diet Might Slow Parkinson’s

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Red wine could also be a responsible pleasure, however new analysis exhibits it may additionally be a robust weapon in opposition to the ravages of Parkinson’s illness.

Why? The antioxidants in purple wine, and fruit similar to berries for that matter, may sluggish development of the motion dysfunction, a brand new examine suggests.

According to researchers, folks with Parkinson’s who eat three or extra servings per week of meals excessive in antioxidants referred to as flavonoids could cut back their odds of dying early in contrast with individuals who don’t eat as many flavonoid-rich meals.

“Flavonoids are naturally occurring, plant-based dietary parts, wealthy in fruit and greens. They give varied colours in these vegetation,” stated senior researcher Dr. Xiang Gao. He is director of the dietary epidemiology lab at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park.

“Adapting a wholesome dietary sample, excessive in colourful fruits and veggies, even after Parkinson analysis, might sluggish illness development and enhance survival price,” he added.

Still, the examine cannot show that flavonoids extended the lives of Parkinson’s sufferers, solely that there could also be an affiliation, Gao stated.

“In our earlier examine, printed in Neurology in 2012, we discovered that flavonoids might forestall in opposition to Parkinson threat sooner or later amongst those that didn’t have Parkinson at first of follow-up,” Gao stated. “The present examine gives additional proof relating to neuro-protective results of fruit and greens.”

Flavonoids present in some fruits, teas and purple wine can rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier and ease oxidative stress, irritation and atherosclerosis within the mind, which could cut back the influence of Parkinson’s, the researchers stated.

For the examine, Gao and his colleagues collected knowledge on greater than 1,200 folks with Parkinson’s illness, common age 72, who had the situation for a median of 33 years. Every 4 years, the sufferers answered questions on their weight loss program. Specifically, they have been requested how typically they consumed tea, apples, berries, oranges and orange juice.

During the examine, 75% of the sufferers died. Of these, 513 died from Parkinson’s, 112 died from cardiovascular illnesses and 69 from cancers.

Those whose weight loss program included essentially the most flavonoids had a 70% larger probability of survival in contrast with folks whose weight loss program included the least quantity of flavonoids, the researchers discovered.

The highest consumption of flavonoids was about 673 milligrams (mg) a day and the bottom was about 134 mg a day. For reference, strawberries have about 180 mg of flavonoids per 100-gram serving, and apples have about 113.

Eating extra flavonoid-rich meals earlier than growing Parkinson’s was tied to a decrease threat of dying amongst males, however not ladies, Gao famous. But after Parkinson’s was recognized, consuming extra flavonoids was linked with higher survival charges for each genders, he famous.

As for which meals are finest, the investigators discovered that those that consumed anthocyanins, present in purple wine and berries, had on common a 66% higher survival price than those that consumed the bottom quantity of anthocyanins.

For the flavonoid flavan-3-ols, present in apples, tea and wine, those that consumed essentially the most had a 69% higher survival price than those that consumed the least.

Although how flavonoids act to enhance Parkinson’s survival is not clear, including berries, apples, oranges and tea to the weight loss program could also be a straightforward and low-risk means to enhance outcomes, Gao stated. He does not, nonetheless, advise individuals who do not drink alcohol to begin, however those that do may wish to swap to purple wine, he advised.

The report was printed on-line Jan. 26 within the journal Neurology.

Dr. Michael Okun, nationwide medical advisor for the Parkinson’s Foundation and director of the University of Florida’s Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases in Gainesville, stated that instantly including flavonoids to your weight loss program is probably not the magic trick to an extended life for Parkinson’s sufferers.

“The nature of the information from this examine shouldn’t be interpreted as folks with Parkinson’s will reside longer in the event that they instantly change their weight loss program to incorporate flavonoids,” he stated. “For instance, mixing wine and Parkinson’s just isn’t all the time protected, as it may result in accidents, normally associated to falling.”

That doesn’t suggest that flavonoids aren’t good for Parkinson’s sufferers and will even have particular advantages for folks with the illness.

“Overall, flavonoids are nice on your well being, and this examine provides to collective literature supporting a possible function in Parkinson’s illness,” Okun stated.

More data

For extra on Parkinson’s illness, head to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

SOURCES: Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, professor, and director, dietary epidemiology lab, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.; Michael Okun, MD, nationwide medical advisor, Parkinson’s Foundation, director, University of Florida’s Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, Gainesville, Fla.; Neurology, Jan. 26, 2022, on-line