News | A handful of berries once a week could stop men from ...

Did you know that protecting yourself from illness in later life could be as simple as eating a handful of berries once a week? Yes, researchers have discovered that berries can actually stop you from developing Parkinson?s disease? as you grow older.

The Daily Mail reports that eating strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and blackberries could be the key when it comes to protecting yourself against Parkinson?s disease.

According to research conducted by British and US experts, men who ate a selection of berries along with other healthy foods were 40 per cent less likely to develop the devastating brain disease.

If the thoughts of eating blueberries and blackcurrants doesn?t appeal to you then relax, because the research also found that men who ate a handful of berries at least once a week could cut their risk of developing the illness by a quarter ? we think it?s probably worth holding your nose and forcing a few down with statistics like that.

So what makes berries so powerful when it comes to fighting Parkinson?s disease? Well, apparently it?s all down to these things called Flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that offer protection against a broad range of illnesses, such as heart disease, dementia and some types of cancer.

This research into the effects of Flavonoids on Parkinson?s disease is the first large-scale study that looks at the impact these antioxidants can have on the illness.

Parkinson?s disease is an incurable neurological disease which gets worse over time. It can cause tremors and various problems with how the body functions. Parkinson?s affects over 8,000 Irish people.

Almost 130,000 people took part in the research regarding the impact of Flavonoids on the illness. Over a period of 20 years, 800 of this number actually ended up developing Parkinson?s disease.

The study found that men who ate one or more portions of berries each week were 24 per cent less likely to develop Parkinson?s, in comparison to those who did not eat the fruits.

Dr Xiang Gao of the Harvard School of Public Health, who was one of the leading figures in the study, said that these results suggest that anthocyanins ?may have neuro-protective effects.?

?Give the other potential health effects of berry fruits, such as lowering the risk of hypertension as reported in our previous studies, it is good to regularly add these fruits to your diet,? he added.

Given the results of the study, it's probably a good idea to get a berry smoothie into you at least once a week from now on...

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