A cup to jump-start your day, a cup with a slice of pie, a steaming hot cup on a cold winter day — coffee is a go-to source of comfort for many people.
According to a 2014 Coffee Statistics Report, more than half of all Americans over the age of eighteen drink coffee on a daily basis, with a yearly consumption rate of 146,000,000,000 cups. Not surprisingly, coffee makes up 75 percent of all of the caffeine consumed in the United States.
This coffee obsession isn’t limited to the United States however. Citizens of Italy have an annual coffee consumption rate of 14,000,000,000 cups of espresso coffee (coffeestatistics.com). Researchers have shown that coffee has more to offer physically than a quick energy boost. It may very well provide health benefits also. One of these possible health benefits is the prevention of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and movement control for those who already suffer from PD.
Parkinson’s Disease and Coffee Studies
One large study observed the incidence rate of Parkinson’s Disease per 10,000 person-years (one year of life for one person) amongst non-coffee drinkers, those who drank 4-8 ounces per day, drinkers of 12-16 ounces a day, 20-24 ounces, and those who drank more than 28 ounces a day.
This study revealed a reduced risk in PD development in men who drank coffee. The annual incidence rate was 10.5 cases per 10,000 person-years for non-coffee drinkers, 5.5 for 4-8 ounce drinkers, 4.7 for 12-16 ounce drinkers, 3.6 for 20-24 ounce consumers, and 1.7 for those who drank more than 28 ounces of coffee a day.
Incidence rate of Parkinson’s compared
When non-coffee drinkers were compared to drinkers of 4-24 ounces, it was shown that non-drinkers were two to three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s Disease. A comparison of non-drinkers to those who drank 28 ounces or more of coffee a day revealed that non-drinkers were five times more likely to develop PD.
Potential benefits for people with Parkinson’s
Dr. Ronald Postuma, a neurosciences researcher and Professor of Medicine at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, led a study that confirmed the ability of coffee to aid in controlling movement in those with Parkinson’s Disease. Postuma’s study involved following 61 patients with PD for six weeks. The patients were divided into a control group who received a placebo pill and a second group that received 100 mg of caffeine twice a day for three weeks then 200 mg of caffeine twice a day for another three weeks. The caffeine recipients showed improvement in their motor symptoms over the placebo recipients. The improvement was in the areas of movement speed and reduced stiffness, as measured by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, a scale used to determine the severity of PD.
So next time you’re craving a warm cup, you can feel good in knowing that there are some potential health benefits to this important part of your daily routine.
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