Drinking black tea regularly could help prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease, a study said Thursday.
Those who consume 23 cups of the beverage a month are 71 per cent less likely to contract the disease, said researchers from Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National Neuroscience Institute.
"Hopefully, in years to come, there may be a pill developed from black tea extracts to prevent" the onset of the disease, The Straits Times quoted Koh Woon-Puay of the institute as saying.
The scientists said they believe enzymes in the drink helps to prevent the brain-wasting disease. They have ruled out the high caffeine content.
The study involved more than 63,000 Chinese men and women aged 45 to 74 who live in Singapore.
About three in 1,000 people in the city-state over 50 suffer from the disease, which affects the middle part of the brain.
Some 300 new cases are diagnosed each year. Scientists said the number is expected to increase to 500 annually by 2030 along with the rapid ageing of the population.
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