FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New studies show coffee may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and gallstone disease
New York, NY – Nov. 1 – Numerous research studies are uncovering potential health benefits in coffee, a scientist who studies coffee extensively told health and science editors here today. The science behind those reports is highly credible, the result of refinements in scientific technique that have replaced old, flawed methodologies. Dr. Sally Vater said, “There is a consensus that coffee may offer some very real benefits related to physical and mental performance. Coffee has always been of great interest; there has been a bit of a mystique around it.”
Speaking at a symposium, Coffee: Breaking News about Health, Fitness and Performance, held at the Reebok Sports Club here, Dr. Vater said that there are 1000 or more identified compounds in coffee, and probably at least that many more unidentified. Caffeine is only one of those compounds, accounting for just 1% of what’s in the bean.
“We’ve long known that caffeine is biologically active,” the scientist explained, “and there are a lot of people who ingest caffeine, so it’s naturally a popular topic of study. People have enjoyed coffee for a long time, although years ago it was thought of somewhat like a guilty pleasure.”
Dr. Vater said, “I think a generation ago there were studies that raised some concerns about coffee. In fact a number of them have been refuted by subsequent, better science, and if you look at the data as a whole, the picture is certainly quite favorable now.”
For example, there is research that has shown a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s disease in men who are longtime coffee drinkers. It is interesting that these large-scale studies show less protection in women. “We think this is probably an effect in postmenopausal women who take hormone supplements, perhaps an interaction between caffeine and estrogen,” Dr. Vater explained, “but an interesting finding is that for those who are protected, the effect is not highly dose-related. We see the benefit in men drinking more than three cups of coffee or so per day.”
Another area under study is the role of coffee in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Vater said, “We know that coffee has a substantial antioxidant component that may be at work here, and that caffeine interacts with brain receptors that could potentially play a role.”
Dr. Vater told the editors that two studies concluded that coffee may have a protective effect against the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. In one, reduction of risk was shown to be associated with regular coffee consumption, but not tea consumption. In the other study, risk reduction was correlated with total caffeine intake.
Dr. Vater said, “The current prevailing concept is that caffeine exerts some protection from neurodegenerative disease (Alzheimer's and Parkinson's) by its interactions with certain brain receptors (adenosine receptors) that are present in the areas affected by these diseases. There is a fair amount of data to support this concept. However, Dr. Vater cautioned, “at this time the data for coffee’s protective properties (especially for Alzheimer's) is still not considered definitive.”
There are probably three or four studies that show that coffee drinking is associated with a lower incidence of gallstone disease, Dr. Vater also told the group. “I think that it’s quite plausible based on what we know about coffee’s favorable effect on the liver. There are some data that show increased bile flow from the gallbladder is associated with coffee, which stimulates bladder contraction and release of bile. That keeps things flowing so you don’t get stones. The initial studies were done in middle-aged men, and they were subsequently confirmed in middle-aged women as well.”
The scientist said that there was no indication of age-specific reduction of risk. The data were derived for separate male and female populations of health professions, whose diet and health status have been followed up for about 20 years. In the female population, the mean age at the start of the research was about 45, for men about 55.
Dr. Vater told the editors, “We will probably continue to see research in this area, because it helps us to understand the nature of the disease. We learn about the origin and progression of disease, and what potential new therapies have developed. If you understand the role of nerve cells in the genesis of disease then that leads to the development of new therapies.”
“Over time different pieces of information come together,” Dr. Vater said. “For example, in a particular study researchers happened to notice that in this study there was this in the blood and it might be related to that. Like a tree, you start looking at one thing and it branches out into others. Coffee is a very popular beverage with about 2000 chemical components. It’s consumed all over the world. There’s a lot to look at there.”