Good news for people living with Parkinson’s disease: New research has demonstrated that a diet rich in flavonoids increases their life expectancy.
Data analysis from two long-range studies — Nurses Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) — by researchers at Penn State, Harvard, and Queens’ University (Belfast, Northern Ireland) found a diet rich in flavonoids reduced mortality in people with Parkinson’s disease.
The results
Dr. Gao, MD, Ph.D., professor of Nutrition Sciences at Penn State, and colleagues measured how much flavonoid-rich food the subjects in the long-range studies ate over 32–34 years. Foods generous in flavonoids include apples, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and red wine.
As a result of this dietary analysis, the researchers uncovered two significant findings:
- Participants with PD who ate diets high in flavonoids before their diagnosis had lower mortality from all causes.
- Participants who began high-flavonoid diets after PD diagnosis had lower mortality rates.
Flavonoids protect, naturally
Flavonoids are plant pigments found in brightly colored fruits (blueberries, strawberries) and vegetables. Regular beverages such as tea, fresh-brewed coffee, and red wine are rich in flavonoids too. Research indicates they also protect nerve cells against damage and degeneration.
When your body metabolizes flavonoids, the chemical byproducts of this process can cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce inflammation and the hardening of the arteries.
These flavonoid-derived metabolites bind to receptors in the brain that control sedation and anxiety and even treat the risk of seizures. They also bind to receptors that Parkinson's drugs target to reduce symptoms.
No wonder flavonoids have the attention of clinicians treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Need help?
If you're in our service area and have questions about your Parkinson's, call us, We'll get you in touch with our speech-language pathologist who is an expert in Parkison's voice therapies.
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