Time to switch to drip coffee? Espresso shot shown to ‘treat Alzheimer’s’ in lab study
Coffee lovers can benefit from more than just a caffeine boost, as research shows that compounds found in shots of espresso can help prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.
A study shows that a shot of coffee can inhibit a process believed to be involved in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Although the exact mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s and dementia are still unclear, it is thought that a protein called tau plays an important role.
In healthy people, tau protein helps stabilize the structure of the brain.
But these proteins can assemble into thread-like structures called fibrils.
Research now shows that compounds found in espresso can inhibit a process believed to be involved in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (stock image)
Some researchers believe that preventing this formation could alleviate Alzheimer’s symptoms — or prevent it from developing in the first place.
Mariapina D’Onofrio, a biologist at the University of Verona in Italy, said: ‘Espresso coffee is one of the most well-known drinks worldwide, and drinking espresso has become a habit in many countries because of its pleasant taste.
‘Recent studies have shown that when consumed in moderation, this drink can have beneficial effects on human health due to its biological properties.
‘In particular, many studies report that moderate and sometimes, even high coffee consumption has a neuroprotective effect against two of the most common neurodegenerative diseases – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.’
To investigate, his team pulled short forms of tau protein alongside espresso shots and incubated extracts in a lab for up to 40 hours.
They found that as the concentration of espresso extract increased, the tau fibrils remained smaller and did not form large ‘tangles’.
These short fibrils were found to be non-toxic to human cells.
The team said that many of the compounds in coffee, such as caffeine and genistein, can cross the barrier between the blood and the brain to provide protective effects.
Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the team said: ‘Here, we show that tau protein aggregation is modulated by espresso coffee extract and some of its components.
‘Based on the bioavailability of coffee components in the brain, and based on the results of our research, we expect that moderate coffee consumption may have sufficient bioactive molecules to act… as modulators of tau protein aggregation and toxicity.
‘In conclusion, we have presented a large body of evidence that espresso coffee, a widely consumed beverage, is a source of natural compounds that show beneficial properties in alleviating tau-related pathologies.’
Although much more research is needed, the team says their preliminary findings could pave the way for finding or designing treatments for the disease.
Previous research has suggested a link between drinking coffee and brain health. A study published in 2021 found that people who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea per day had a 28 percent reduced risk of dementia compared to those who did not drink.
This group also had a 32 percent reduced risk of stroke, the scientists found.
Meanwhile, a separate study found that eating an ‘anti-inflammatory’ diet including coffee, tea, fruit and vegetables reduced the risk of dementia by a third.