TUESDAY July 1, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Caffeine may help prevent multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting about 400,000 people in the U.S., a new animal study suggests.The study showed that mice receiving a daily dose of caffeine equivalent to the amount in 6 to 8 cups of coffee protected them from a condition similar to human MS.The study was conducted by Dr. Linda Thompson, of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and colleagues and the findings were reported in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Thompson explained that caffeine prevented adenosine, one of the four building blocks of DNA, from binding to the adenosine receptor, a maneuver that is necessary for T-cells to reach the central nervous system and cause the animal version of MS.For more information on multiple sclerosis, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis

By Ben Wasserman, and edited by Heather Kelley.
Jul 1, 2008 - 4:04:45 PM