August 3, 2012

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Coffee lovers take note: coffee may have health benefits related to Parkinsons disease. A new study examined the influence coffee has on the disorder. Based on the results, researchers believe that coffee can help control movement, easing the symptoms of Parkinsons. The findings are featured in the online issue of Neurology, a journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Studies have shown that people who use caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinsons disease, but this is one of the first studies in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement symptoms for people who already have the disease, explained study author Dr. Ronald Postuma, a member of the American Academy of Neurology and a researcher at the Researchers Institute of the McGill University Health Center, in a prepared statement.

In the study, 61 participants who showed symptoms of Parkinsons disease, such as daytime sleepiness, were split into two groups. One group took a placebo and the other group took a pill with 100 milligrams of caffeine twice a day for three weeks then 200 milligrams twice a day for three weeks. The second group consumed the equivalent of caffeine from two to four cups per day.

Following a six-week exam period, the group that was given caffeine supplements showed a five-point average in improvement in Parkinsons severity rating as compared to participants who were given the placebo.

This is a modest improvement, but may be enough to provide benefit to patients. On the other hand, it may not be sufficient to explain the relationship between caffeine non-use and Parkinsons, since studies of the progression of Parkinsons symptoms early in the disease suggest that a five-point reduction would delay diagnosis by only six months, noted Postuma in the statement.

The group that took caffeine also showed an average of three-point improvement in body stiffness and body movement as compared to those who were in the placebo group.

The people who received caffeine supplements experienced an improvement in their motor symptoms (a five-point improvement on the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale, a rating scale used to measure the severity of the disease) over those who received the placebo, suggested Postuma in the statement. This was due to improvement in speed of movement and a reduction in stiffness.

However, caffeine did not positively improve daytime sleepiness, depression, or quality of life in the participants; its also important to take note that, as the study was done in a short amount of time, the influence of caffeine may decrease over time.

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