Espresso coffee is among the most consumed beverages in the world. Recent studies report a protective activity of the coffee beverage against neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer′s disease. Alzheimer′s disease belongs to a group of disorders, called tauopathies, which are characterized by the intraneuronal accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau in fibrillar aggregates. In this work, we characterized by NMR the molecular composition of the espresso coffee extract and identified its main components. We then demonstrated with in vitro and in cell experiments that the whole coffee extract, caffeine, and genistein have biological properties in preventing aggregation, condensation, and seeding activity of the repeat region of tau. We also identified a set of coffee compounds capable of binding to preformed tau fibrils. These results add insights into the neuroprotective potential of espresso coffee and suggest candidate molecular scaffolds for designing therapies targeting monomeric or fibrillized forms of tau.
In vitro results, take with a grain of salt or shot of espresso.
Some interesting/random tidbits from the paper:
The effect of coffee extract was remarkable: even in the presence of low quantities of the mixture, the formation of long fibrils was compromised and only few short fibrils were visible (Figure 4B,C). The coffee extract at high concentrations strongly interfered with fibril formation
The espresso coffee extract was obtained from 15 g of powder using a two-cups coffee machine (Gaggia espresso machine
A moderate espresso coffee consumption of 2/3 cups per day (40 mL/cup) provides about 250 mg of caffeine and 25 μg of genistein, in addition to numerous other bioactive compounds. (7,20) Many of these compounds, including caffeine and genistein, can cross the blood–brain barrier via different mechanisms (55,56) and exert neuroprotective effects. (6)
Guess I’ll have to keep drinking espresso just in case
Why exclude other methods of making coffee?
If ingredient substances of coffee can pass the blood-brain barrier, they can most probably pass through a coffee filter. Coffee filters are quite porous.
What about decaf? It has all of the other ingredients (and also a little caffeine).
Hrm. I start the day with a 200mg caffeine pill, and usually have another 100-200mg throughout the day in energy drinks. I hate the taste of coffee, but I see what dementia and Alzheimers has done to members of my family. I may need to acquire a taste for it…