We understand that diet significantly affects our health, and recent research has linked coffee consumption to a reduced likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Analyzing data from 184,024 individuals over an average span of 13 years, an international group of researchers observed that those who drank coffee had a lower risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Further examination of hundreds of Parkinson’s patients showed lower levels of caffeine’s primary metabolites, paraxanthine and theophylline, in their blood, indicating an inverse relationship with the risk of developing the disease.
“This research highlights a reverse correlation between caffeinated coffee intake and Parkinson’s risk, based on one of the broadest longitudinal studies globally, spanning over two decades,” the researchers noted in their publication.
While not the first to make a connection between coffee and Parkinson’s, this study delves deeper into pre-diagnostic caffeine biomarkers than earlier studies.
The data revealed that the highest quartile of coffee drinkers had a 40% lower chance of developing Parkinson’s compared to non-drinkers. The risk reduction among all coffee drinkers varied widely, from about 5 to 63 percent, depending on the geographic location.
Even after adjusting for smoking and alcohol consumption, the association persisted, though it does not confirm a direct cause and effect. Nevertheless, caffeine and its compounds seem to offer some neurological protection.
Previous studies suggest that caffeine’s ability to maintain dopamine flow in the brain may underlie these protective effects. Parkinson’s involves a decrease in dopamine due to the loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra.
“Our findings support these neuroprotective properties, showing a reverse correlation between caffeine, paraxanthine, theophylline, and Parkinson’s onset,” the researchers explained.
Given caffeine’s impact on neurons, it’s not entirely surprising that it could be linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Yet, the exact initiation mechanisms of Parkinson’s in the brain remain elusive.
The ongoing research is crucial to uncovering the triggers of Parkinson’s, influencing our risk factors, and finding potential preventive measures. In the United States alone, nearly a million people live with the disease, which progressively impairs tremor control, movement, balance, and limb rigidity.
“Coffee is the most popular psychoactive drink worldwide,” the researchers stated.
“Understanding how caffeine affects Parkinson’s disease not only has significant implications for public health but also deepens our grasp of its origins and may guide future preventative approaches.”
The study has been published in the journal Neurology.
