The healthful effects of coffee are far-reaching, to the point that every time a new benefit is found, I have to scour old articles (that Iโve written) to see if Sprudge has already reported on it. One of these benefits is coffeeโs ability to prevent Parkinsonโs disease (Sprudge has NOT reported on that. But here we are, doing it now. Coffee prevents Parkinsonโs. Youโre welcome). And a new study shows that drinking coffee may also help with the early identification of the disease.
The findings come from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo. Led by Nobutaka Hattori, a group of researchers found that how the body processes coffeeโspecifically caffeine and caffeine byproduct serum levelsโmay be used as a biomarker for Parkinsonโs Disease, which could lead to earlier detection. Surveying 139 people, both men and women with and without the disease, researchers analyzed the blood serum of the participants for caffeine and โits 11 so-called downstream metabolites โ small molecules produced during caffeine-induced metabolic processes in the human body.โ
They found, according to a press release, that โthe serum levels of caffeine and of almost all metabolites, including theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine โ caffeineโs main byproducts โ were lower in patients with Parkinsonโs disease.โ The researchers do note that concentrations of caffeine and its byproducts arenโt indicative of the severity of the disease.
So drink up, everyone. Not only does coffee prevent Parkinsonโs, it may just help doctorโs identify the disease during its earlier stages.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.