Objective: To prospectively examine the association between the intake of flavonoids and their subclasses (flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, flavones, and polymers) and the risk of PD.

Background: Flavonoids have been proposed to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, results from epidemiological studies have been inconclusive.

Method: The study population comprised 80,701 women (1984–2016) and 48,782 men (1986–2016) from two large US cohorts. Flavonoid intake was ascertained at baseline and every four years thereafter using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. We conducted multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) according to quintiles of baseline and cumulative average intakes of total flavonoids and their subclasses.

Results: We identified 676 incident PD cases in women and 714 in men after 30-32 years of follow-up. Higher flavonoid intake at baseline was not associated with a lower PD risk, neither in men (HR comparing highest to lowest quintile: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.69-1.14) nor in women (HR comparing highest to lowest quintile: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.98-1.64). Similar results were observed for cumulative average intakes. Flavonoid subclasses were not associated with PD risk. The multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) comparing the highest to the lowest quintile of anthocyanins intake were 1.10 (0.85–1.41) in women and 0.99 (0.78–1.25) in men. Results remained similar after adjustment for the intake in servings/day of high-pesticide residue fruits and vegetables and when restricting analyses to younger PD cases.

Conclusion: These results do not support a protective effect of flavonoid intake on PD risk.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/flavonoid-intake-and-risk-of-parkinsons-disease/