A study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, shows anthocyanins, found in berries and other red/purplish fruits and vegetables, offer protection against Parkinson's disease in both men and women. Dr. Xiang Gao, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School recommends two cups of berries a week. For the study, Dr. Xiang Gao collected data on over 49,000 men who took part in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and more than 80,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study. After 22 years of follow-up it was found that those who consumed the most anthocyanins had a lower risk. Dr. Carlos Singer, a professor of neurology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, and an expert in Parkinson's disease, thinks this has to do with an antioxidant effect. For more information, see http://www.raysahelian.com/anthocyanins.html