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 Iโ€™ve written) to see if Sprudge has already reported on it. One of these benefits is coffeeโ€™s ability to prevent Parkinsonโ€™s disease (Sprudge has NOT reported on that. But here we are, doing it now. Coffee prevents Parkinsonโ€™s. Youโ€™re welcome). And a new study shows that drinking coffee may also help with the early identification of the disease.

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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 coffeeโ€”specifically caffeine and caffeine byproduct serum levelsโ€”may be used as a biomarker for Parkinsonโ€™s 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 โ€œits 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 โ€œthe serum levels of caffeine and of almost all metabolites, including theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine โ€” caffeineโ€™s main byproducts โ€” were lower in patients with Parkinsonโ€™s disease.โ€ The researchers do note that concentrations of caffeine and its byproducts arenโ€™t indicative of the severity of the disease.

So drink up, everyone. Not only does coffee prevent Parkinsonโ€™s, it may just help doctorโ€™s 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.

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