Coffee drinking linked with lower risk for Parkinson's disease

November 21, 2000 in Healthy Eating

Coffee drinking linked with lower risk for Parkinson's disease

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a recent study by investigators from the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota.

In the study, investigators identified 196 people who developed Parkinson's disease from 1976 to 1995. Each case was individually matched by age and sex to a control subject who was free of Parkinsonís disease. The researchers found that coffee drinking was significantly more common in control subjects than cases. The investigators noted a significant trend of decreasing risk with increasing number of cups of coffee per day. Furthermore, Parkinson patients who drank coffee experienced a later onset of the disease than those who did not. These findings agree with other reports that have shown an possible protective effect of coffee on Parkinsonís.

Caffeine has been shown in some studies to block brain adenosine receptors, which may be important in reducing the risk of the disease.

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