The Neuroprotective Effects of Caffeine
Coffee has dealt with a bad rap for many years but this bad rap is not deserved. Much like chiropractic, the minivan and quiche. We have seen studies showing a protective effect of coffee consumption on Parkinson’s risk. The bottom line is that coffee contains polyphenols, just like tea, dark chocolate and red wine. These compounds are well known to protect us from chronic disease.
With this in mind, this study was designed to evaluate caffeine intake, but intake was based on “cups per day,” which of course would include tea as well. But caffeine has its own set of benefits, although, like anything else, too much can create problems, in this case by overloading the adrenal glands. So caffeine is known to increase blood flow to the brain, and so increased nutrients to the brain would provide neurons with the ability to stay healthier.
