Actor Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) 31 years ago. While it's a progressive neurodegenerative condition, those who get it before age 50 — around 10% to 20% of cases — can, like Fox, live with it for decades. Even people diagnosed around age 60 can live for 10 to 20 more years.

But the quality of those decades can vary widely, according to two studies.

A study in the journal Neurology looked at the effect over a five-year period of four hours a week of moderate to vigorous exercise on the balance and walking ability of newly diagnosed patients.

It turns out exercise slowed decline of motor skills related to posture and gait. The researchers also observed that people who maintained a steady level of work-related activity stayed mentally sharper than those who didn't.

Another study in Neurology looked at the impact of dietary flavonoids on the lifespan of folks with PD. Getting more than three servings weekly of foods loaded with flavan-3-ols and anthocyanins was most beneficial, improving survival rates by 66% to 69% during the study period.

Flavan-3-ols are in apples, hops, tea, beer, wine, and black tea, and anthocyanins are in blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries, eggplant skin, red cabbage, cranberries, and cherries.

If you have PD, it's time to eat (berries and apples), drink (black tea), and be active.

For recipes, see my "What to Eat When Cookbook," and for exercises, check out www.apdaparkinson.org.