By now, you probably already know that you should eat lots of foods rich in vitamins C and E. In addition to supporting the immune system, do you know what other powers they have?
Vitamin C, for example, can help heal wounds, maintain your sharp eyesight, avoid heart disease, treat the common cold, and even decrease the risk of having adverse symptoms of COVID-19. Vitamin E, on the other hand, can promote skin health and reduce free radical damage in the body, which, in part, can decrease your chances of developing certain types of cancer. (Related: The vitamin that doctors recommend everyone take now.)
Now, there is another important reason to source foods rich in both vitamins. It turns out that Vitamins C and E can decrease the risk of Parkinson’s disease. According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, “dietary intake of vitamin E and C is inversely associated with Parkinson’s risk.”
The study analyzed the health records of more than 43,800 adults aged 18-94 from 1997 to 2016 and analyzed their responses to a diet questionnaire, and the results – to say the least – were revealing.
“Your diet is important,” says study researcher Ylva Trolle Lagerros, MD, PhD, MPH, a doctor at the Stockholm Specialized Center for Obesity and an associate professor at the Karolinska Institutet. Eat this, not that! “If you choose foods rich in vitamin E and C in your diet, such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds or citrus fruits or berries, this can help prevent the development of Parkinson’s disease later in life.”
So, what should you eat? Trolle Lagerros recommends targeting 500 grams, or a little more than half a kilo, of fruits and vegetables every day.
“Fruits, vegetables, berries, seeds and vegetable oil … this is a good starting point for a new healthy lifestyle. If you still use butter in the pan, try vegetable oil, or at least try half and half, ”she adds.
According to these findings, the more you include these plant foods in your diet, the lower your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
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