Research: TANAKA and COLLEAGUES,

Listed in Issue 193

Abstract

TANAKA and COLLEAGUES, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. k-tanaka@fukuoka-u.ac.jp assessed the association between caffeine and risk of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Background

Studies that have addressed the association between the intake of coffee or caffeine and Parkinson's disease (PD) were conducted mainly in Western countries. Little is known about this relationship in an Asian population.

Methodology

The authors performed an assessment of the association of the intake of coffee, other caffeine-containing beverages, and caffeine with the risk of PD in Japan. The study involved 249 PD cases and 368 control subjects. Information on dietary factors was obtained through a self-administered diet history questionnaire. Adjustment was made for sex, age, region of residence, educational level, pack-years of smoking, body mass index, the dietary glycaemic index, and intake of cholesterol, vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin B(6,) alcohol, and iron.

Results

Intake of coffee, black tea, and Japanese and Chinese teas was significantly inversely associated with the risk of PD: the adjusted odds ratios in comparison of the highest with the lowest quartile were 0.52, 0.58, and 0.59, respectively (95% confidence intervals = 0.30-0.90, 0.35-0.97, and 0.35-0.995, respectively).

Conclusion

A clear inverse dose-response relationship between total caffeine intake and PD risk was observed. We confirmed that the intake of coffee and caffeine reduced the risk of PD. Furthermore, this is the first study to show a significant inverse relationship between the intake of Japanese and Chinese teas and the risk of PD.

References

Tanaka K,  Miyake Y,  Fukushima W,  Sasaki S,  Kiyohara C,  Tsuboi Y,  Yamada T,  Oeda T,  Miki T,  Kawamura N,  Sakae N,  Fukuyama H,  Hirota Y,  Nagai M,  Fukuoka Kinki Parkinson's Disease Study Group. Intake of Japanese and Chinese teas reduces risk of Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 17(6):446-50. Jul 2011.

Comment

Despite the usually negatively reported effects of caffeine upon health, the above study demonstrated that there was a clear inverse relationship between caffeine intake and risk of Parkinson's disease (PD).

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