Previous research on potential associations between caffeine consumption and MS risk had been inconclusive, but other studies had associated caffeine consumption with reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, indicating that the drug may have neuroprotective qualities.
“Caffeine intake has been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and our study shows that coffee intake may also protect against MS, supporting the idea that the drug may have protective effects for the brain,” explains study lead author Ellen Mowry, MD, MCR, an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore specializing in Multiple Sclerosis research and an American Academy of Neurology member.
For this study, researchers reviewed results of two population-based case-control studies; a Swedish study comparing coffee-drinking habits of 1,629 subjects with MS and 2,807 healthy people, and a Kaiser Permanente Northern California study of 1,159 persons with MS and 1,172 healthy people.
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