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10 Apr 2008
Drinking coffee or tea could help to protect people against multiple sclerosis (MS), latest research suggests.
A study looking at the effect of caffeine on mice found that the equivalent of six to eight cups of coffee per day gave them protection against an animal form of MS, called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).
Researchers at Cornell University believe that the discovery could pave the way for developments in treatments for people living with MS.
Scientists know that caffeine works to block the receptor of a molecule called adenosine which affects biochemical processes in the body.
They therefore believe that activating the adenosine receptor in mice will allow immune cells to transfer to the brain and spinal cord.
In multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), the body's immune system attacks and damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
However this movement of immune cells into the brain and other CNS tissue is rarely seen in people without MS.
In the study, caffeine prevented this movement in mice as it had the effect of stimulating the CNS and blocking the ability of adenosine to affect the system's cells.
According to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS now affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world.
Click here to learn more about multiple sclerosis
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