Verona, Italy — A new study suggests that enjoying espresso every day may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists in Italy say that concentrated coffee shots remove harmful proteins that build up in the brain and cause nerve cell death. Surprisingly, this effect persists even when espresso is consumed as part of an espresso martini cocktail.
Lead researcher, Professor Mariapina D’Onofrio of the University of Verona, reports that espresso coffee reduces the accumulation and enhancement of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These ‘tau tangles’ interfere with cognitive and memory performance and are a significant cause of dementia.
In healthy people, tau stabilizes structures in the brain. However, in neurodegenerative conditions, they can aggregate into ‘fibrils’. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that espresso prevents the formation of these fibrils, a finding that is particularly important given that an estimated 96 percent of the Italian population drinks espresso daily.
“With increasing concentrations of espresso extract, caffeine, or genistein, the fibrils shortened and did not form larger sheets, with full extracts showing the most dramatic results,” the researchers wrote in their paper. media release. “It turns out that the shortened fibrils are non-toxic to cells and do not act as ‘seeds’ for further aggregation.”
For the study, the research team prepared espresso shots using commercially available beans and analyzed their chemical composition using a scanning technique known as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. They decided to focus on specific compounds for further testing: caffeine and trigonelline (both alkaloids), the flavonoid genistein, and theobromine, a compound also found in chocolate.
Professor D’Onofrio suggests that whether espresso is drunk on its own or mixed into a latte, americano or even a martini, it gives coffee lovers a powerful dose of caffeine.
“But it may be more than just a wake-up call… Espresso compounds can inhibit tau protein aggregation, a process thought to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.”
A standard espresso extraction process involves grinding approximately 20 grams of coffee beans as finely as possible. A finer grind should increase the surface area exposed to the extract and improve the extraction yield (the portion of the ground coffee that dissolves in the final drink).
Making an espresso shot (often called “pulling”) involves forcing hot water into finely ground coffee beans to produce a concentrated extract. This extract is often used as the basis for other beverages, such as the popular espresso martini.
Professor D’Onofrio comments that recent research suggests that coffee may have beneficial effects on certain neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, although the exact mechanism is still unclear. It has been hypothesized that the tau protein plays an important role.
Italians consume around 30 million cups of espresso a day, typically served in porcelain cups or small glasses, and with or without milk, they consider each cup a token of friendship.
The researchers concluded that regular espresso consumption was associated with a reduced risk of premature death, despite previous associations with health risks. Recent studies have shown that moderate consumption of this beloved beverage may have beneficial effects due to its unique biological properties. In particular, coffee is rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that reduce inflammation and may protect against conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.
“Coffee extract contains a wide variety of bioactive compounds that exhibit beneficial health effects. Using NMR-based analysis, we were able to identify the most abundant component in espresso coffee,” the researchers wrote in their paper. Agricultural and Food Chemistry Journal.
“We have presented a large body of evidence that espresso coffee, a widely consumed beverage, is a source of natural compounds that exhibit beneficial properties in ameliorating tau-related conditions.”
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Southwest News Service writer Mark Waghorn contributed to this report.
