Coffee lovers have another reason to rejoice. A recent study shows that caffeine in coffee may provide some shield against Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The study also observed that those with PD had lower levels of caffeine in their system, despite regular coffee intake, which means caffeine levels may be used as an early biomarker of PD.
According to Medscape Medical News, the study compared the caffeine levels in blood samples of 139 participants. Those with PD had much lower levels of caffeine than those patients without PD.
Heavy Coffee Drinkers May Have Lower Risk Of Developing Parkinson’s Disease
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Nobutaka Hattori of the Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, notes that their study only confirms what past epidemiological studies have found about the relationship between heavy consumption of coffee and lower risk of PD.
Results of the study also indicate that patients who show lower caffeine levels may indicate a “malabsorption for caffeine” and thus may be considered a risk factor for PD. In this case, caffeine may be delivered through other means. Further study however is needed to see how caffeine can be used in the treatment of PD.
Caffeine Levels As A Reliable Biomarker For PD?
The study also looked at caffeine and its metabolites in the blood samples. Nine of the 11 caffeine metabolites were observed to be much lower among those with PD, as opposed to those without the disease. And given that these indicators did not vary based on sex, disease severity and gene variants, it looks like it can become “promising diagnostic biomarkers” for early PD.
This observation, they write, is “consistent with the neuroprotective effect of caffeine previously revealed by epidemiologic and experimental studies.”
This study is one of the most recent of studies on caffeine and its impact on health and the human body.