Drinking tea or coffee linked to lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, study finds

Research is based on participation of 369 people with illness and 197 without it

Caffeine could protect against Parkinson's Disease, a new study says. (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire)

Drinking caffeinated drinks such as tea or coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests.

After discovering that caffeine and urate had protective characteristics in animals, researchers at Harvard Medical School wanted to see if this was also the case in humans.

Their study found that, after adjusting for factors such as age and BMI, the odds of having the disease decreased with increased caffeine consumption.

The research, which is published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, involved the participation of 369 people with PD and 197 without it.

Rachit Bakshi, the lead researcher who works in the Department of Neurology, said: "Both caffeine and urate possess neuroprotective properties.”

"They both have protective properties in animal models of Parkinson's Disease, raising the possibility of their disease-slowing potential,” he added.

The authors cautioned that the effects of caffeine have yet to be studied in a long-term PD trial.

Professor Bas Bloem, a consultant neurologist, said the strength of the study lay in its “robust approach”, including the careful monitoring of a large group of people with PD.

Mr Bloem said: "It is an important basis to further develop future disease-modifying approaches to slow down the decline of this otherwise relentlessly progressive condition.

"Identifying factors that are linked to lower likelihood of PD, such as caffeine consumption, offer a unique opportunity to understand the disease, and if the link were causal, then possibly to slow the disease,” he added.

The degenerative disease affects the body by impairing movement, muscle control and balance.

Additional reporting by SWNS