Coffee may stop MS developing - study

Article from: AAP

By Tamara McLean

April 08, 2008 06:04pm

COFFEE may help stop the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), experiments on lab mice suggest.
US scientists have found they were able to protect rodents from the animal form of MS by feeding them the equivalent of six to eight cups of coffee a day.

About 15,000 Australians have the disease, caused by immune cells that infiltrate the brain and spinal cord, attacking them and causing damage.

A molecule called adenosine, which is involved in many of the body's biochemical processes, such as energy transfer and the promotion of sleep, is believed to be responsible for this process.

Caffeine is known to block the receptor of the molecule, so the team from Cornell University tested the stimulant on mice.

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