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Regularly drinking coffee could decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease later on in life, a study has claimed.
While many people rely on their morning cup of Joe for a much-needed boost of energy, the research conducted by scientists at the Krembil Brain Institute in Canada highlights the beneficial impact that coffee consumption can also have on one’s overall health.
The researchers used light roasted, dark roasted and decaffeinated dark roasted coffee to carry out their investigation.
They were able to identify a group of compounds in the coffee called phenylindanes that appear during the coffee roasting process.
Not only do phenylindanes cause the recognisable bitterness associated with coffee, but they also impede the merging of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, which are found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
In the opinion of Dr Ross Mancini, a research fellow in medicinal chemistry who took part in the experiment, these findings are significant for the prevention of these degenerative diseases.
“It’s the first time anybody’s investigated how phenylindanes interact with the proteins that are responsible for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” he says.
“The next step would be to investigate how beneficial these compounds are, and whether they have the ability to enter the bloodstream, or cross the blood-brain barrier.”
Dr Donald Weaver, co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute, also pointed out the importance of using natural ingredients in the research.
“Mother Nature is a much better chemist than we are and Mother Nature is able to make these compounds.
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Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
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This is a family from Antigua in Guatemala. After undergoing surgery the father lost his ability to walk and also had amnesia, which developed into dementia. His wife who is a full time teacher had to make sacrifices to care for him. The daughter also left her job to care for him full time, while the mother works. They all adore him and would do anything and sacrifice anything for him
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3/8 South Africa
Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
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5/8 South Africa
Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
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This woman is cared for by her son. The photograph captures the moment he brought out a pot that she had left on the stove which caught fire. As you can see in the photos she’s so embarrassed. He says he worries to leave her on her own and is so sad to see her lose her independence
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Mrs Roop Chungani, 72 years old. Mrs Roop was a hairstylist in her youth and was known to be one of the most famous hairstylists in Mumbai, working with celebrities and high-profile stars of Bollywood. She worked in one of Bombay’s most famous beauty parlours. After her dementia diagnosis, she says that her husband was very hard on her because of the change in her behaviour
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1/8 South Africa
Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
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2/8 Guatemala
This is a family from Antigua in Guatemala. After undergoing surgery the father lost his ability to walk and also had amnesia, which developed into dementia. His wife who is a full time teacher had to make sacrifices to care for him. The daughter also left her job to care for him full time, while the mother works. They all adore him and would do anything and sacrifice anything for him
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3/8 South Africa
Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
Leah Beach
4/8 Guatemala
ERMITA is an adult day-care centre located in the heart of Guatemala City. It is a privately funded organization that allows families to not only drop off loved ones for physical therapy and alternative therapeutic treatment methods, but also offers medications at a huge discount, and training classes for care partners. They have even established a dementia carers programme at the local university, as well as providing outreach in local homes
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5/8 South Africa
Heidedel Community Centre – A community centre dedicated to taking care of people displaced by mental illnesses and disabilities. It mostly houses people living with dementia. Many traditional healers tell family members that if they have dementia or other disorders they are cursed. These people do not have family to care for them, and this centre is one of the first centres that is privately funded in a township with limited government support
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This woman is cared for by her son. The photograph captures the moment he brought out a pot that she had left on the stove which caught fire. As you can see in the photos she’s so embarrassed. He says he worries to leave her on her own and is so sad to see her lose her independence
Leah Beach
7/8 India
This woman is a member of the Parsi community, a cultural group in India which has Persian ties. People with Persian heritage are considered to be a ‘race’ in India and there are often separate hospitals and community centres. This woman, who asked to remain anonymous, is an inhouse ‘patient’ in the ‘Parsi ward’ of a public hospital. She is living with dementia and her family hardly ever come to visit her. Most patients living in this ward are abandoned by their family, or have no family to look after them
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Mrs Roop Chungani, 72 years old. Mrs Roop was a hairstylist in her youth and was known to be one of the most famous hairstylists in Mumbai, working with celebrities and high-profile stars of Bollywood. She worked in one of Bombay’s most famous beauty parlours. After her dementia diagnosis, she says that her husband was very hard on her because of the change in her behaviour
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“What this study does is take the epidemiological evidence and try to refine it and to demonstrate that there are indeed components within coffee that are beneficial to warding off cognitive decline.”
The researchers used Starbucks brand 100 per cent Arabica instant coffee for the study, preparing the stock solutions of coffee extracts in water.
While the scientists found that dark roasted coffee seemed to provide the most protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, they have stated that more research needs to be conducted before coffee can be used for medical treatment.
“It’s interesting but are we suggesting that coffee is a cure? Absolutely not,” Dr Weaver says.
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