"Berry" troubles! Men can eat berries regularly to prevent Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is one of the nightmares of many elderly people. Although the symptoms are not as severe as Alzheimer's disease, which gradually leads to dementia, neurodegeneration leads to limb stiffness, slow movements or whole body tremors, which make patients and their families miserable. The latest research in the United States found that long-term intake of berries in men can reduce the incidence of Parkinson's disease by 40%, which is more effective than any drug on the market.

Long-term research at Harvard shows that men who develop the habit of eating berries can effectively reduce their risk of Parkinson's disease by 40%. (Photo/taken from Daily Mail)

According to a report in Time Magazine, a 20-year follow-up study by Harvard University and Norwich University in the UK found that among 130,000 male and female subjects, approximately 800 people developed Parkinson's disease. After eliminating the influence of age and lifestyle habits, it was found that regularly eating fruits rich in "flavonoids" (or flavonoid compounds) (especially berries) would reduce the risk of disease by nearly 40%, and eating one serving of berries regularly per week can effectively reduce the risk of disease by 24% in the long run. However, this association was only found in men, and female latent patients did not seem to benefit from it; the paper was published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology.

Anthocyanins in berries or eggplants are a type of flavonoid that also have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They have been shown to effectively lower blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular diseases. In this experiment, researchers found that similar effects seem to be reflected in the activation of neuron signaling passageways, thereby reducing the incidence of Parkinson's disease. In the past clinical practice, the average incidence of Parkinson's disease in women was higher than that in men, but the preventive effects of caffeine or flavonoids only appeared in men, and the reason for this gender difference has not been found yet.

Parkinson's disease is caused by insufficient production of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Patients cannot be cured, but the disease can be controlled to a certain extent through existing drugs, and their lifespan will not be shortened. It is worth noting that approximately 20% of long-term patients will develop dementia symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in a dual degeneration of physical and mental functions. The researchers said that the relevant preventive effects still need to be further studied in individuals to find a clearer association, but being able to reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease while eating sweet and sour berries is really killing two birds with one stone.