Could a daily coffee habit lower MS risk? New analysis says yes.

People who drink coffee may have a more than 20% lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those who do not, according to a new analysis of published studies that pooled data from more than 4,500 participants from seven countries.

“These results suggest that coffee consumption might have a protective effect against MS, although more research is needed to understand exactly how coffee influences the disease and what amounts might be most beneficial,” the scientists wrote.

Noting the varying results produced by many earlier studies, the scientists wrote that their work here “combined and analyzed data from previous research to get a clearer picture.” Overall, drinking coffee was found to reduce MS risk.

Still, the team noted that the reviewed studies had high variability in their findings, with some showing coffee consumption as a protective factor and others as a risk factor. For this reason, the researchers wrote, “larger, multicentric studies are recommended” to confirm these results.

Titled “Coffee consumption and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS): a systematic review and meta-analysis,” the study was published in the journal Neurodegenerative Disease Management.

In MS, the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in inflammation and damage to nerve cells. This disrupts nerve communication, ultimately causing a range of MS symptoms.

Although the exact causes of MS are still unclear, a number of environmental factors are believed to play a role in its development. For example, lifestyle factors such as smoking, low vitamin D levels, and certain diets have all been linked to a higher risk of developing MS.

Individual studies of coffee and MS risk have shown mixed results

Coffee, one of the world’s most widely consumed beverages, contains caffeine and other naturally occurring compounds known to exert anti-inflammatory activity, either alone or in combination. For that reason, coffee may have a protective role in MS.

“However, studies examining whether coffee can reduce the risk of developing MS have produced mixed results,” the researchers wrote. While some earlier studies suggested a possible protective role, others found no clear association between coffee consumption and MS risk.

To learn more, a team of researchers from Iran conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, pooling data from studies published through January 2024 that examined coffee intake and the risk of MS.

“To our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis regarding risk of developing MS by using [coffee],” the team wrote.

These results are consistent with several epidemiological studies that have demonstrated an inverse association between coffee intake and the risk of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Of 521 studies initially identified, eight met the inclusion criteria and were used in the researchers’ final analysis. The studies represented data from seven countries: Iran, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Turkey, and Sweden and the U.S.

Together, these studies involved 2,193 people with MS and 2,344 healthy individuals who served as controls. Among those with MS, 1,072 were coffee drinkers, compared with 1,295 coffee consumers in the control group.

Results from these studies varied, with some suggesting a stronger protective link between coffee consumption and MS risk, others finding little to no difference, and two reporting a higher risk among coffee drinkers.

When the data were combined, however, the researchers found that people who drank coffee were about 22% less likely to develop MS compared with those who did not.

According to the team, “these results are consistent with several epidemiological studies that have demonstrated an inverse association between coffee intake and the risk of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.”

Findings overall support coffee’s possible neuroprotective effects

These new findings support the idea that coffee may have neuroprotective effects. The researchers pointed to coffee’s potential to reduce inflammation, limit oxidative stress — a type of cell damage — and reduce the activation of the brain’s immune cells.

Still, the team noted a high degree of variability among the studies, which may reflect differences in study design, population characteristics, how coffee intake was measured, and different caffeine content across regions. Other confounding factors, such as smoking or vitamin D levels, may also have played a role.

Such differences, the team noted, may limit the extent to which these findings can be generalized.

“Coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of MS in pooled analysis, but the substantial heterogeneity limits the strength and generalizability of this conclusion,” the researchers wrote.