People with Parkinson’s Disease may be able to reduce their risk of all-cause mortality by increasing their intakes of flavonoids, a class of polyphenols found in cocoa, a variety of fruits, and red wine, according to a new study published in Neurology.
 
“Our group’s previous research found that when people without Parkinson’s ate more flavonoids, it was associated with a lower risk of them developing the disease in the future,” Xiang Gao, study author and professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State, said. “We wanted to further explore whether flavonoid intake could be linked to better survival in individuals who had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
 
While flavonoids have been studied for their potential to exert neuroprotective benefits, their impact specifically on individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is relatively under-studied. The present study sought to assess mortality risks in a population of patients with Parkinson’s disease, based on pre- and post-diagnosis flavonoid intakes from participants in the Nurses’ Health Study.
 
In total, the outcomes of 599 women and 652 men who were newly diagnosed with PD during follow-up were analyzed and compared against reports from a food frequency questionnaire which was done every four years.
 
In men, but not in women, the quartile of the group which had the highest flavonoid intake pre-diagnosis had a significantly lower future risk for all-cause mortality compared with the lowest quartile, after adjusting for cofounding factors.
 
Further, eating high amounts of flavonoids after having already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease had significant impacts on the chances of dying during the 34-year study period across the whole population. Specifically, those in the highest quartile of flavonoid consumption (about 673 mg daily) had a 70% greater chance of survival than the lowest group (about 134 mg daily).
 
The researchers noted minor differences depending on the proportions of different flavonoids people were taking in on average. The highest quartile of anthocyanin consumers had a 66% greater survival rate than those in the lowest 25% of the population. The top quartile of flavan-3-ols had a 69% greater survival rate than the lowest quartile.
 
While the study was observational, the authors noted that it has been theorized that flavonoids act as antioxidants which have an effect on oxidative stress in a way that translate to a reduction in neuroinflammation levels. Future studies, they said, should work to elucidate the mechanism by which these food-sourced compounds dramatically lower the risk in those suffering from PD.
 
“It’s also possible they may interact with enzyme activities and slow neuron loss and could protect against cognitive decline and depression, which are both associated with a higher mortality risk,” said Xinyuan Zhang, lead author of the study and doctoral candidate in nutritional sciences at Penn State.