(GPonline) - Diets high in flavonoids, which are found in berries, apples and red wine may cut men's risk of Parkinson's disease, a study suggests.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia worked alongside a team from Harvard University to analyse two large patient databases.

They examined data from 49,281 men enrolled in the Health Professional Follow-up Study and 90,336 women in the Nurses’ Health Study.

The researchers found that men who were in the highest quartile in terms of flavonoid consumption had a 40% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease than men in the lowest quartile.

No such relationship was seen for women, but the researchers said the reasons for this gender difference were unclear.

The researchers said the findings ‘should be interpreted cautiously’ and ‘need to be confirmed in other large prospective studies’.