Coffee linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s prevention

07 Nov 2018 --- Certain compounds found in coffee called phenylindanes may hinder two protein fragments responsible for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s from clumping, therefore potentially aiding in the prevention of these diseases, researchers have found.

The study was carried out by Dr. Donald Weaver, Co-Director of the Krembil Brain Institute with the help of biologist Yanfei Wang and Dr. Ross Mancini, a Fellow in Medicinal Chemistry, who tested three different types of coffee roasting – dark roast, light roast and decaffeinated dark roast.

Even though coffee consumption has been linked to a lesser risk in developing the two cognitive diseases, Dr. Weaver says they found that it is not due to caffeine. After more research, they discovered a group of compounds, phenylindanes that are the result of roasting the coffee beans. They inhibit two protein fragments found in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s from clumping. 

The proteins, beta amyloid and tau, are both common in the two diseases and the surprising part of the discovery, says Dr. Weaver, is exactly that “phenylindanes are a dual-inhibitor.”

Of the three tested roasting methods, the dark roast was found to be richer in phenylindanes as the beans undergo more roasting, which boosts the compounds’ production. Dr. Weaver believes that the fact that these compounds are found in coffee naturally is a great advantage, as “Mother Nature knows best.”

“It's the first time anybody's investigated how phenylindanes interact with the proteins that are responsible for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's,” says Dr. Mancini, a fellow in Medicinal Chemistry at the Krembil Brain Institute.

Dr. Mancini adds that “given that the phenylindanes in coffee are known to be some of the more potent antioxidants found in foods and beverages, it is plausible that phenylindanes could have other beneficial health effects as well.”

He believes that more research on phenylindanes is essential to “determine if phenylindanes can elicit other neuroprotective effects related to diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular stress, cancers.”

Therefore, Dr. Mancini notes that the consumption of dark roast should not be seen a preventative method against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

“Further studies are needed to determine if phenylindanes are absorbed into the bloodstream and if they can enter the central nervous system and if phenylindanes affect the gut microbiome. Bottom line, there are many more questions than answers at this point, which is good for research,” he says.

“What this study does is take the epidemiological evidence and try to refine it and to demonstrate that there are indeed components within coffee that are beneficial to ward off cognitive decline. It's interesting but are we suggesting that coffee is a cure? Absolutely not,” Dr. Weaver concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou