Coffee could have a protective effect against multiple sclerosis (MS), new research has found.
People who don't drink the beverage are around one-and-a-half times more likely to develop MS than those who drink several cups a day, the study claims.
Scientists attribute the effect to caffeine, which has already been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Previous research found drinking four cups of coffee a day could also cut the risk of diabetes by 25 per cent.
People who do not drink coffee are about one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Multiple Sclerosis than those who drink several cups a day, a study has found
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 2.5 million people have MS, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Trust.
MS is a condition of the central nervous system, where the coating around nerve fibres (called myelin) is damaged, causing a range of symptoms.
The specific symptoms that appear depend upon which part of the central nervous system is affected and the job of the damaged nerve.
People with MS might suffer fatigue, vision problems and difficulties with walking, but the condition is different for everyone.
It is usually diagnosed in people aged 20 to 40, and it affects almost three times as many women as men.
The researchers analysed data from two Swedish and US studies comparing a total of 2,788 people with MS and almost 4,000 healthy individuals.
Both studies found that participants who did not drink coffee were more likely to develop MS than those who drank many cups every day.
The Swedish study found that people who drank no coffee were one and a half times more likely to develop the disease than people who who drank at least six cups of coffee per day during the year before symptoms appeared.
Drinking large amounts of coffee five or 10 years before symptoms started was similarly protective.
In the US study, people who didn't drink coffee increased their risk of developing MS by one and a half times, compared to those who drank four or more cups of coffee per day in the year before symptoms started to develop.
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 2.5 million people have MS, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. The new study found caffeine might protect against the condition
Lead researcher Dr Ellen Mowry, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, US, said: 'Caffeine intake has been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
'Our study shows that coffee intake may also protect against MS, supporting the idea that the drug may have protective effects for the brain.
'Caffeine should be studied for its impact on relapses and long-term disability in MS as well.'
The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Washington DC.
Dr Sorrel Bickley, of the MS Society, said: 'It's vital in our fight to stop MS that we learn more about the role of environmental factors in the cause of the condition.
'Over 100,00 people in the UK have MS and this new study may give us yet another clue in understanding how the condition develops.
'However we can't yet judge whether these results provide meaningful new evidence as they've only been presented at a conference and haven't been peer reviewed in an academic journal.
'It's important to bear in mind that the overall risk of developing MS is low, so we would urge people not to worry about making changes to their diet and lifestyle based on these results alone.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2971789/A-coffee-day-MS-bay-Caffeine-protects-against-multiple-sclerosis-study-finds.html#ixzz3TA2aSTZj
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