And prevention is important as about three people out of 1000 suffer from Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the brain.

This disease affects men and women of late middle age and is characterised by symptoms such as a tremor, slowing of physical movement, impaired balance and coordination.

The number of people suffering from this condition is increasing with 300 new cases diagnosed each year.

Researchers at Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National Neuroscience Institute say that drinking as little as three-quarters of a cup of tea each day may cut the risk of developing Parkinson's by as much as 71 per cent.

Over 63,000 men and women in Singapore aged 45 to 74 took part in the study which tracked their lifestyle factors from 1993 through to 2005.

The scientists found that those people who drank the most black tea were least likely to get Parkinson's.

At first, the researchers thought the result was simply due to caffeine, as caffeine has been inversely related to the disease.

Black tea contains low-to-moderate levels of caffeine - although not as high as in coffee - and that may increase blood flow to the brain and boost mental concentration.

But as they detected no effect from green tea which contains similar amounts of caffeine, they suspect other components in tea may be responsible.

One strong contender is the high concentration of natural antioxidants known as flavonoids in black tea. Related to the ones in green tea but chemically slightly different, these have an anti-inflammatory effect on the heart and blood system which may improve circulation to the brain.

No other food or food component had any influence on the illness.

Catherine Saxelby is a nutritionist and author of Nutrition for Life. Get more healthy eating tips at www.foodwatch.com.au