Smoking, coffee and aspirin may delay Parkinson's disease symptoms

It has long been known that smokers are slightly more protected against Parkinson's disease, with symptoms appearing later on average compared to non-smokers, a new study shows that coffee and aspirin have a similar effect.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative pathology after Alzheimer's disease, which affects over 7 million people in the world. It is characterized by emotional and cognitive disorders, severe tremor, altered gait, and increased muscle tone. Most often develops in old age, but there are cases of early Parkinson's. In men, the disease is diagnosed 1.5 times more often than in women.

Researchers from the Institute of Neurogenetics at the University of Luebeck recruited about 36,000 patients from the United States with the disease. Volunteers filled out questionnaires detailing their lifestyle, habits, symptoms and medications taken.

Scientists divided participants into several groups according to the duration of smoking, drinking coffee or taking aspirin. They analyzed the results and compared the age of onset of the first signs of Parkinson's disease in all groups.

Those who smoked more than 100 cigarettes in a lifetime had a median age of 63.5 years for the onset of symptoms, compared with 60.8 years for nonsmokers. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was also associated with delayed signs of disease, although this difference was not significant. But there is a serious nuance: smokers with Parkinson's disease had worse motor symptoms compared to those who did not have this bad habit. In addition, this group of patients was more likely to experience depression, anxiety, memory problems and pain syndrome.

Coffee drinkers also developed symptoms of the disease with a delay, 61.9 years versus 59.4 years for those who did not consume the beverage. The protective effect potentially increased according to the number of cups drunk and the duration of consumption. In addition, coffee was associated with less severe movement disorders.

When the researchers evaluated the possible protective effect of various anti-inflammatory drugs, the highest rate was found for aspirin, a popular drug that was associated with a 5-year delay in symptoms. Patients who took at least two pills a week for 6 months or more had a median age of symptom onset of 64 years. In those who didn't take aspirin, it was 59.1 years.

Researchers said these results help improve understanding of Parkinson's disease and could influence the creation of effective therapies to delay and slow its progression. But there is still a long way to go, as the exact mechanisms of this protective effect are still unclear. Patients should not take these findings as a guide to action, especially when it comes to smoking. "The detrimental health effects of smoking far outweigh any potential benefits in Parkinson's disease," the study authors reported.

The Fox Insight Study was funded by the foundation of actor Michael J. Fox, who has suffered from Parkinson's disease since he was 30 years old.

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