A cup of espresso could be more than just a caffeine booster; it could also hold potential benefits to our brain health, specifically for Alzheimer’s disease. Groundbreaking research led by Mariapina D’Onofrio suggests that compounds found in espresso may inhibit the aggregation of tau proteins associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The extraction of espresso coffee involves forcing hot water through finely-ground coffee beans, resulting in an ultra-concentrated dose of coffee. Growing research evidence suggests that coffee could potentially have beneficial effects against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s and Espresso
The precise mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases are still unclear, but the tau protein is believed to play a significant role. Tau proteins are responsible for stabilizing brain structures in healthy individuals, but certain diseases can cause these proteins to aggregate into fibrils. There are some schools of thought that believe preventing this aggregation could potentially alleviate symptoms.
The D’Onofrio-led team embarked on an investigation to determine if espresso compounds could potentially inhibit tau aggregation in vitro. The group prepared espresso shots using store-bought beans and then analyzed their chemical composition. They focused their experiments on certain compounds found in espresso, including caffeine and the flavonoid genistein.
The preliminary in vitro findings showed that as the concentration of espresso extract, caffeine, or genistein increased, the tau protein fibrils were shorter and didn’t form larger sheets. Both caffeine and the espresso extract demonstrated potential as they both managed to bind pre-formed tau fibrils.
Future Research Potential
Although much more research is needed, these findings suggest that specific compounds in espresso, particularly caffeine, could pave the way towards finding or designing other bioactive compounds against neurodegenerative diseases.
In a similar vein of research, espresso coffee has been recognized as having a protective effect against neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Such diseases, termed tauopathies, are characterized by the accumulation of tau protein in the neurons.
Accumulating observational data suggests that moderate to high espresso consumption exerts a neuroprotective action against Parkinson′s and Alzheimer′s diseases, two of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Various coffee compounds have been seen to have beneficial effects in alleviating.
