A new study set to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, suggests yet another potential health benefit of coffee consumption: it could reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis.

Share on Pinterest The risk of MS could be reduced by drinking at least four cups of coffee a day, according to the researchers.

It is estimated that more than 2.3 million people worldwide have multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease of the central nervous system – the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease, whereby immune-system induced inflammation damages the protective coating of nerve fibers, called myelin. Symptoms of MS vary but commonly include loss of balance and coordination, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, tremors and numbness.

Past studies have suggested that coffee consumption may protect against other neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In this latest study, researchers say the beverage could also protect against MS.

To reach their findings, study author Dr. Ellen Mowry, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, and colleagues analyzed data from two separate population-based case-control studies that looked at the link between coffee consumption and MS.

The first study was a Swedish study involving 1,629 people with MS and 2,807 healthy controls, while the second study was a US study involving 1,159 people with MS and 1,172 healthy controls.

Both studies recorded coffee consumption among people with MS at 1 and 5 years prior to onset of symptoms, and the Swedish study also recorded coffee consumption among these participants 10 years before symptoms began. Coffee intake of those with MS was compared with the healthy controls at similar time points.