Drinking six cups of coffee a day could reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis by nearly one third, thanks to the neuroprotective properties of caffeine, according to Swedish research.
The two case control studies are supported by laboratory studies showing caffeine can suppress the production of chemicals that form part of the neuro-inflammatory response, researchers say.
The findings are based on two population observational studies – one in Sweden and another in the USA.
The former comprised 1,620 adults with MS and a comparison group of 2.788, who were matched for age and sex. They were asked how many cups a day they usually drank, starting with consumption from the ages of between 15 and 19 until they were 40 and over.
Participants in the US study, which involved 1,159 people with MS and 1,172 healthy people, were asked about their maximum daily consumption and anyone who drank one or more cups a day was quizzed about the age they started drinking coffee regularly.
This information was then used to estimate coffee consumption at and before the start of MS symptoms in those with the condition and compared this tally with that in the healthy groups.
The risk of MS was consistently higher among those drinking fewer cups of coffee every day in both studies, even after taking account of potentially important influential factors, such as smoking, and weight during the teenage years.
In the Swedish study, coffee drinking was associated with a reduced MS risk at the start of symptoms and five and 10 years beforehand. Researchers found that those who drank more than 900ml a day – which equates to six cups – had a 28-30% lower risk.
The results were similar in the US study, which recorded a 26-31% lower risk among those who drank 948ml of more of coffee every day for at least five years before and at the start of symptoms compared with those who never drank coffee.
Writing online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the researchers say that although this is an observational study from which no firm conclusions can be drawn, the results back up animal studies of MS and there is also evidence that caffeine’s protective effects guard against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Researcher Dr Anna Hedström, from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, told Englemed: "Our results are in accordance with studies in animal models of MS in which caffeine administration has been shown to have a protective effect on neuroinflammation.
"The mechanisms for a potential protective effect of coffee remain unclear but caffeine, one component of coffee, has been shown to suppress the production of chemicals involved in the inflammatory response, which may contribute to explain the findings."
Hedstrom AK, Mowry EM, Gianfrancesco MA et al. High consumption of coffee is associated with decreased multiple sclerosis risk: results from two independent studies. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 4 March 2016; doi 10.1136/jnnp-2015-312176
http://jnnp.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/jnnp-2015-312176
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