Berries, Wine and Mortality in Parkinson Disease

Intake of flavonoids was associated with reduced mortality in patients with PD in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Dietary intake of flavonoids has been proposed to be neuroprotective. These researchers examined associations between flavonoid intake prior to and following a diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD) and mortality during 32 to 34 years' follow-up of 599 women from the Nurses' Health Study and 652 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Total flavonoid intake as well as specific foods were studied (tea, apples, berries, oranges and orange juice, and red wine). Mortality was calculated using the National Death Index and state vital statistics.

Higher total flavonoid intake before PD diagnosis was associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality in men but not in women. Higher intake after diagnosis was also associated with lower mor…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)