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Caffeine alleviates symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Caffeine affects people with Parkinson's disease very differently than healthy people. Researchers have found that it helps reduce the severity of tremors and restores the ability to move normally.
Ronald Posthuma, a researcher at McGill University, and his colleagues tested the effects of caffeine on 61 people with Parkinson's disease. The patients took caffeine tablets every day for six weeks, at a concentration equivalent to about three cups of coffee. There was also a control group.
In the end, only people in the main group showed significant improvements in motor skills. Most of the problems associated with Parkinson's disease are caused by a lack of dopamine in certain areas of the brain. There, the cells that produce this compound are destroyed.
Adenosine receptors normally inhibit dopamine production. Caffeine blocks their function, thereby increasing dopamine levels. There are drugs in development that work in a similar way. But caffeine may be a cheaper alternative.
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