New Study Finds Espresso May Help Protect Against Alzheimer's & Neurodegeneration

A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that in preliminary in vitro (read: not performed on humans) research, espresso compounds helped protect against Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration5. 

The aggregation of tau protein in the brain is one mechanism that is suspected to contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s. Tau protein isn’t inherently bad—everyone has it, and it actually helps stabilize structures in the brain. But when tau proteins begin aggregating and condensing, that's what researchers believe causes neurodegeneration to begin. 

For this study, researchers looked at how medium-roast ground coffee affected the behavior of tau protein in a cell model.

Researchers pulled espresso shots (a blend of Arabica coffee from South America and Robusta coffee from Africa and Southwest Asia), taking note of their chemical makeup along the way. Then, they incubated these isolated molecules alongside tau protein for up to 40 hours. 

As the concentration of the compounds in the espresso shot increased, the shorter chains of tau protein did not form larger sheets (which would be indicative of Alzheimer’s). These shorter chains did not aggregate or act as “seeds,” as researchers describe it, for further aggregation. 

This aligns with previous research that found that coffee could be potentially protective against cognitive decline6. However, it’s important to point out that the roasting process for espresso and coffee is different, so these results can’t necessarily be extrapolated to include regular coffee just yet, hence why more research is needed.

As many coffee studies note, a modest amount of coffee or espresso intake (between two and three cups daily) is recommended, as caffeine overload can result in anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia, and other unwanted side effects.

Also, do your best to consume those cups at least eight hours before bed to prevent caffeine-induced insomnia. After all, sleep is one of the largest factors contributing to a healthy brain, so it's not worth interrupting or delaying.

It’s safe to say that more research is needed to replicate these findings beyond in-vitro studies. Nevertheless, this is a launching point for more research on bioactive chemicals that could protect the brain from neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's.