Study: People Using Coffee to Self-Treat Parkinson’s But Not Talking to Their Doctors

A new study shows that coffee is among the most commonly used natural health products used by people with Parkinson’s disease to self-manage symptoms.

The study, which focused on other popular substances such as cannabis and turmeric, highlighted a significant lack of awareness between how products pitched as potentially beneficial to health may interact with coffee and doctor-prescribed Parkinson’s medications.

The study appeared in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, a publication of Amsterdam-based research and technical publisher IOS Press.

“Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder for which current treatments are limited to symptomatic relief, and prescribed medication often causes side effects,” the authors wrote. “In this context, there is an increasing interest in non-pharmacological interventions, and people living with Parkinson’s disease may want to explore natural health products to alleviate disease-associated symptoms.”

The study involved interviews with 367 individuals in the Netherlands with Parkinson’s disease, with 36% reporting using natural health products to relieve symptoms. Coffee was the most popularly reported product of choice, with 16% of people saying they used the drink specifically to manage Parkinson’s symptoms. Cannabis was the second most popular remedy at 13%, followed by turmeric at 10%.

Among people who said they’d used natural products specifically to alleviate symptoms, only 39% said they discussed their use with their healthcare professional.

“These observations are important because a concern regarding the integration of natural health products into clinical practice is their potential interactions with prescribed medication,” the authors wrote. “Therefore, these findings support the need for additional research efforts into the health benefits and safety of these products.”

There is now a large body of scientific evidence suggesting that caffeinated coffee consumption might help prevent or delay the onset of Parkinson’s disease, the world’s second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder following Alzheimer’s.

However, the body of research regarding coffee’s association with symptoms among people who already have Parkinson’s remains relatively scarce. One major study published in the Annals of Neurology in May suggested coffee consumption among adults with early Parkinson’s had minimal or no changes in symptoms compared to a control group.

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