Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue in the brain and body, particularly the protective sheathing around nerve fibers. It causes a host of symptoms, including fatigue, vision problems, numbness, and mobility issues, and there is currently no known cure.
The causes of MS are also unknown but are believe to be related to environmental and lifestyle factors, like smoking, diet, lack of vitamin D, etc. A new study finds that what we consume may also work to mitigate the risk of MS, and wouldn’t you know it, coffee was found to have a positive impact.
As reported by Multiple Sclerosis News Today, the new study was published recently in the journal Neurodegenerative Disease Management. Coffee has previously been studied in relation to MS with mixed results. But this study is a “systematic review and meta-analysis” of multiple prior studies containing a total of more than 4,500 participants, 2,193 people with MS and 2,344 without (the control group). Of the participants with MS, 1,072 were regular coffee drinkers. All told, coffee drinkers were found to be 22% less likely to develop MS than those who didn’t drink coffee at all.
Researchers suggest this could be do to coffee’s neuroprotective effects. Coffee has been shown to reduce inflammation, limit oxidative stress, and reduce activation of the brain’s immune cells, all of which may play a part in the results.
But the researchers also noted that the studies they used had heterogeneous results—some said coffee was good, other said it had no effect, and others found negative associations—thus it is impossible to draw any generalized conclusions about coffee and MS. More research will still need to be done in order to establish any causal relations or to determine when coffee may or may not be a good idea.
Still the results are similar to those of other coffee health studies. When it comes to diseases and symptoms where inflammation can be a root cause or contributing factor, drinking coffee often results in positive outcomes.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
