Coffee...it's almost everyone's favorite. Coffee is like a booster that makes one get on with the day. It could be addictive that a cup of coffee is not enough. How do you enjoy your steaming hot Joe? What's more amazing with your favorite drink is that now you have more reasons to drink it.
A new study suggests that drinking several cups of coffee daily can lower risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis. Result showed that people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day were one-third less likely to have Multiple Sclerosis (MS) compared to those who did not drink at all, Web MD reports.
The result of the research was presented by Johns Hopkins School Medicine in the meeting of the American Academy of Neurology on Thursday. There are many compounds in coffee that could be contributing [to the findings]," Ellen Mowry, study researcher, MD of Johns Hopkins Medicine states to Yahoo Health.
"Caffeine is a compelling connection given it may be protective against Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Interestingly, it does affect the functioning of immune cells in the brain but has impacts on other potentially relevant processes too." Mowry says that if the results from this study are confirmed, the findings could lead to new treatment approaches for MS.
According to Mowry, their group cannot conclude yet whether drinking coffee could be a way to really stop the development of MS. There is something in coffee drinkers, such as their habit or lifestyle.
However, she cannot conclude yet as the findings reveal that coffee and most possibly caffeine has some "neuroprotective" effect.
She added it could not be separated from the fact that high coffee intake is also linked to lower risks to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's- the degeneration of the brain cells.
In the study of two groups, over 1,159 people with MS and 1,172 healthy people were evaluated in the U.S. and 1,629 people with MS and 2,807 healthy people were analyzed in the Swedish study.
The recent findings report that non-coffee drinkers had about a one and a half times increased risk of developing MS in Sweden as compared to those who drink at least six cups of coffee per day prior to their symptoms.
In the United States, people who didn't drink coffee were also one and a half times more at risk compared to those who drank four to more cups daily.
The result has been consistent even after factors such as age, body mass index, smoking, sex, and sun exposure habits were taken into account.
According to Medical Daily, Mowry stated in a press release that caffeine intake has been associated with lesser exposure to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The study suggests that coffee may also help against occurrence of MS given that it has some content that protects the brain.
Coffee has neuroprotecttive properties that may curb the proinflammatory cytokines production. Cytokines are the one responsible for the tissue reduction, systematic inflammation, fever and in some cases shock and death.
In an earlier study published in the European Journal of Neurology, they indicated that drinking alcohol, coffee and regular consumption of fish may help setback the progress of developing MS.
The study revealed that those who were found to be at level 6 in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) may delay MS progress by eating fish two or more times weekly, moderate alcohol consumption and dirking coffee.