Used coffee grounds may help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

By James Gamble via SWNS

Coffee grounds may be the unlikely key to preventing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.

A team of US researchers discovered that when treated, spent coffee grounds have properties that can protect brain cells from damage brought on by diseases in the brain.

The authors of the exciting study, published in the journal Environmental Research, say the ground-breaking treatment for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) could one day be offered in the form of a pill.

The treatment is also believed to cause few side effects and would be environmentally friendly, sustainable and cheap to produce - due to the abundance of currently discarded used coffee grounds from homes and businesses across the globe.

The scientists, from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), found that caffeic-acid-based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs), which are easily obtained from spent coffee grounds, have the potential to protect brain cells from damage caused by several NDs if the condition is triggered by factors such as obesity, age and exposure to pesticides and other toxic environmental chemicals.

Current treatments for NDs - which occur when nerve cells in the brain or peripheral nervous system lose function over time and die - only serve to help sufferers manage their diseases, not resolve or prevent them.

NDs inhibit a person’s ability to perform basic functions such as movement and speech, as well as more complicated tasks including bladder and bowel functions and cognitive abilities.

The most common include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, prion disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron disease, Huntington's disease, spinal muscular atrophy and spinocerebellar ataxia.

The disorders, when in their early stages and caused by lifestyle or environmental factors, share several traits, including elevated levels of free radicals and the build-up of amyloid-forming proteins which can lead to plaques or fibrils in the brain.

Free radicals are harmful molecules in the brain known to contribute to other deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease and loss of vision.

A team led by Jyotish Kumar, a doctoral student at UTEP, discovered CACQDs derived from used coffee grounds were neuroprotective across test tube experiments, cell lines and other models of Parkinson's disease when the disorder was caused by a pesticide called paraquat.

The CACQDs were found to be able to eject free radicals or prevent them from causing damage and stop the build-up of amyloid protein fragments without causing any significant side effects.

“Caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots have the potential to be transformative in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders,” Mr Kumar explained.

"This is because none of the current treatments resolve the diseases; they only help manage the symptoms.

"Our aim is to find a cure by addressing the atomic and molecular underpinnings that drive these conditions."

Caffeic acid belongs to a family of compounds called polyphenols; plant-based compounds known for their antioxidant or free radical-scavenging properties.

It is unique as it can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and is therefore able to exert its effects upon the cells inside the brain.

The researchers extracted CACQDs from used coffee grounds using an environmentally-friendly 'green chemistry' process in which they 'cook' the grounds at 200 degrees for four hours to reorient the caffeic acid's carbon structure, forming CACQDs.

The team suggests that in humans in the very early stages of a condition such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, a treatment based on CACQDs could be effective in preventing full-on disease.

Dr. Mahesh Narayan, a professor and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in the same department as Kumar, says NDs must be tackled at their rudimentary stages.

He added that the sheer abundance of coffee grounds also makes the treatment both economical and sustainable.

“It is critical to address these disorders before they reach the clinical stage,” Dr. Narayan said.

"At that point, it is likely too late. Any current treatments that can address advanced symptoms of neurodegenerative disease are simply beyond the means of most people.

"Our aim is to come up with a solution that can prevent most cases of these conditions at a cost that is manageable for as many patients as possible.”

The researchers are now seeking extra funding to support further testing on their exciting breakthrough.

They also suggested that though it was still a long way down the line, their research could eventually lead to the development of a simple pill that could prevent the vast majority of neurodegenerative disorders that are caused by factors other than genetics.