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October 15, 2008 4:21:09 PM CDT

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Guzzle Coffee, Prevent Multiple Sclerosis?

Posted Jul 1, 08 10:44 AM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – For preventing the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, caffeine might be just what the doctor ordered, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study involving what must have been some very jittery mice, researchers found that the equivalent of 6-8 cups of coffee per day conferred protection from the rodent equivalent of MS. Don't rush off to Starbucks yet, though.

"This is an exciting and unexpected finding, and I think it could be important for the study of MS and other diseases," but "a mouse is not a human being," says the lead researcher. The first step may be an observational study comparing caffeine intake with frequency of MS diagnoses. So far, few mouse-MS results have translated to humans.

Source Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Doctors don't necessarily recommend downing all that extra coffee in order to prevent MS; but the study results could pave the way for better treatment options in humans.   ((c) pixelthing.com)
The dose that helped keep lab mice from developing MS, six to eight cups of coffee a day, is much higher than the recommended intake for humans, but the research is promising.   ((c) AKX_)
In addition to avoiding the mouse version of MS, the mice in the study probably got a lot more work done than their sleepy counterparts in the control group.   ((c) coxy)
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coffee  • medical breakthrough  • caffeine  • multiple sclerosis  • lab mice


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