After making coffee, you also throw away its beans, it can cure these diseases

The popularity of coffee has increased rapidly in India in the recent past. Let us tell you how its beans are helpful in protecting you from many diseases.

As soon as people wake up in the morning, they drink coffee first. A cup of coffee makes the day start fresh and energetic. But do you know that the coffee grounds (the remaining part of the beans) that you throw in the dustbin after making coffee can become the cure for dangerous brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's in the future. Let us tell you about it in detail. 

Amazing research by University of Texas

Scientists at the University of Texas at El Paso in the US have created special small particles from coffee grounds. These are called carbon quantum dots (CQDs). When these dots are made from caffeic acid, a natural substance found in coffee, they are called CACQDs. These particles were found to be very helpful in protecting the brain from damage.

Why do brain diseases occur?

• In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, brain cells i.e. neurons slowly start dying.
• One reason is free radicals, which damage neurons.
• The second region is amyloid proteins, which form clumps and block brain activity.

How does magic happen with leftover coffee?

The researchers tested CACQDs in the lab in test tubes, living cells, and on a Parkinson's model made with the pesticide paraquat. The results were very positive. CACQDs neutralized free radicals and prevented amyloid proteins from forming clumps. Apart from this, no side effects were seen.

crossing the blood brain barrier

Most medicines are unable to reach the brain because the blood-brain barrier blocks them. But these caffeic acid-based particles easily cross this barrier and reach the brain. This means that they work directly where the root of the disease is.

Easy and eco-friendly process

The method of making CACQDs is simple and environment-friendly. Researchers heated used coffee beans at 200 degrees Celsius for 4 hours. This created carbon particles, which made CACQDs. There are no toxic chemicals used in this, the process is low cost and coffee beans are available everywhere. This means that what is normally thrown into the waste can become medicine in the future.

Why is this research a game-changer? 

Today, the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is limited to controlling symptoms and is also very expensive. If CACQDs are converted into medicines, it can become a low-cost, effective and side-effect-free prevention tool. In the future, a simple pill can save us from these incurable diseases. This study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, gives new hope. One day, the same coffee grounds that we throw away without thinking, can save millions of people from brain diseases.