The research, conducted by scientists at the Krembil Brain Institute in Canada, highlighted the beneficial impact that coffee consumption can also have on overall health.
The researchers used light roasted, dark roasted and decaffeinated dark roasted coffee to carry out their investigation.
They were able to identify a group of compounds in the coffee called phenylindanes that appear during the coffee roasting process.
Not only do phenylindanes cause the recognisable bitterness associated with coffee, but they also impede the merging of amyloid-beta and tau proteins, which are found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The scientists have said that the findings could be significant for the prevention of these degenerative diseases.
While they that dark roasted coffee seemed to provide the most protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, they have said that more research needs to be conducted before coffee can be used for medical treatment.