Are you a coffee lover?
You may have heard all sorts of bad things about coffee, with people discouraging you from drinking too much coffee lest you wind up an anxious ball of nerves.
Or your dentist may have asked you to tone down on the morning cup of joe so that you don’t stain your teeth yellow.
But now, coffee lovers can have something to counter these naysayers.
A recent study shows that drinking two cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease.
Here is more on the new results and what you can say in retort to someone who says you drink too much coffee.
New Study Shows That Drinking 2 Cups of Coffee a Day May Reduce the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease by Up to 8 Times
Coffee lovers, listen up.
Those who are genetically more likely to contract Parkinson’s disease pay attention as well.
There is a new study by the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) in Singapore which links drinking coffee to reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
For those who are unaware, Parkinson’s disease is “a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination”.
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease tend to get worse over time, and women are more likely to contract this disease than men. Age is a factor which increases the risk of one suffering from this disease.
Channel News Asia reported that the NNI’s research found that two cups of coffee (local kopi brewed from robusta coffee beans) a day can “reduce the risk of PD by four to eight times in people with Asian gene variants linked to the condition”.
That is great news, especially since coffee is easily found and a well-loved drink by many.
People may not need to try too hard for this “remedy” if they want to test out the research.
Channel News Asia spoke to Professor Tan Eng King, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Academic Affairs) and Senior Consultant with NNI’s Department of Neurology and the principal investigator for this study.
According to Professor Tan, caffeine may have a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease.
It “significantly” cuts the risk of the disease. This can “level the playing field for Asians who are genetically at higher risk” of the disease but don’t currently exhibit any symptoms.
Caffeine also helps to “decrease inflammation of neurons in the brain” and reduce cell death, which could have contributed to the study’s findings.
We’re off to have our two cups of coffee for the day.
