Are you a coffee lover? You will because coffee has been gaining popularity for being a healthy drink for a couple of years now. Recently, a study says that ‘the more coffee you drink, the longer you live’. Some will say it isn’t true but studies show that coffee can help lower the risk of getting the deadly diseases Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. Studies have confirmed that but what’s impressive about the latest study published by Frontiers in Neuroscience is that they now know what component of coffee is responsible for allowing people live longer.
The study shows that it’s actually during the roasting process that the magic happens. Dr. Donald Weaver, the co-director of Krembil Brain Institute in Canada says that they wanted to make more studies about the benefits of coffee and how it can help people with the two diseases mentioned above. They begin by investigating which compounds of coffee give the best health benefits.
Both Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease are caused by amloid beta proteins. These proteins when abnormally fold in the body results to the two diseases hence both are also called ‘protein misfolding diseases’. In the study, it shows that there are certain coffees that are effective for the prevention of these diseases because these coffees block the protein folding process.
The compound in coffee that is so effective in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson Disease is phenylindanes. Most dark roasted coffees have these compounds. It can also be found in decaf as long as it is dark roasted. Co-author of the study Dr. Ross Mancini says that it’s the first study of its kind where they tested how the compound phenylindanes affect the amloid beta proteins. He insisted that there is still no cure for both the diseases but both can be prevented if you drink dark-roasted coffee.
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