Coffee & Parkinson's

Caffeine as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s

There is a well-established link between caffeine, usually in the form of coffee drinking, and a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. However coffee may also help people with Parkinson’s.

A small study on caffeine as a treatment for Parkinson’s was recently published in Neurology.  The researchers found that the equivalent of two to four cups of coffee a day improved people’s motor symptoms. That is the tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement that are common in Parkinson’s. While the study was small (lasting six weeks and involving 61 participants), the authors feel that these potential motor benefits are encouraging enough to warrant a larger long-term trial of caffeine.

Parkinson's New Zealand chief executive Deirdre O'Sullivan commented that this was an exciting finding, but expressed caution at the small scale of the study. Since coffee can also lead to negative effects, so she said it was probably not wise for people to dramatically increase their intake until more research had been done.
 

Learn more -
Original study
Dominion Post article