Coffee can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

A new Canadian study shows that coffee consumption, especially dark roasting, can help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

The researchers found that natural coffee compounds known as phenylindans, which result from the roasting process of beans, appear to inhibit the formation of lumps of beta-amyloid and tau, two protein fragments common in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

"Coffee consumption seems to be linked to a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Donald Weaver, co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute in Toronto. "But we wanted to know why: what compounds are involved and how they can affect age-related cognitive decline."

The team chose to study three different types of coffee: light roast, dark roast and dark decaffeinated roast.

"Both caffeinated and decaffeinated black roasts had similar potency in our first experimental tests," said Dr. Ross Mancini, a medicinal chemistry researcher. "So we found early on that its protective effect could not be due to caffeine."

Mancini then identified a group of compounds called phenylindans, which result from the roasting process of coffee beans. Phenylindans are unique in that they are the only compound studied in the study that inhibits both beta-amyloid and tau, two common protein fragments in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

"Phenylindans are therefore a double inhibitor. Very interesting, we did not expect that, "Weaver said.

Since roasting leads to higher amounts of phenylindans, dark roast coffee appears to be more protective than light roast coffee.

"This is the first time that we have been studying the interaction of phenylindans with the proteins that cause Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease," said Mancini. "The next step would be to determine how beneficial these compounds are and whether they have the ability to enter the bloodstream or cross the blood-brain barrier."

The fact that it is a natural or synthetic compound is also a major benefit, said Weaver.

"Mother Nature is a much better chemist than us and Mother Nature is able to make these compounds. If you have a complex compound, it is best to grow it in a crop, harvest it, grind it and extract it, rather than trying to make it. "

Nevertheless, much research is needed before this can translate into potential therapeutic options, he added.

"The purpose of this study is to analyze epidemiological evidence and try to refine them and demonstrate that there are actually components in coffee that are beneficial to prevent cognitive decline." . That's interesting, but do we suggest that coffee is a cure? Absolutely not, "Weaver said.

Source: University Health Network

Related Articles