ALSUntangled #70: caffeine.
Jessica HatchPaul BarkhausBenjamin BarnesMorgan BeauchampMichael BenatarTulio BertoriniRobert BowserMark BrombergAndrew BrownJavier Mascias CadavidGregory T CarterNicholas ColeJesse CrayleMazen DimachkieDavid EnnistEva FeldmanTimothy FullamTerry Heiman-PattersonSartaj JhootyTodd LevineXiaoyan LiIsaac LundElise MallonNicholas MaragakisChristopher J McDermottGary PatteeKaitlyn PierceDylan RatnerKim StaatsPaul WicksMartina WiedauRichard BedlackPublished in: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis & frontotemporal degeneration (2023)
ALSUntangled reviews alternative and off-label treatments for people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PALS). Here, we review caffeine which has plausible mechanisms for slowing ALS progression. However, pre-clinical studies are contradictory, and a large case series showed no relationship between caffeine intake and ALS progression rate. While low doses of caffeine are safe and inexpensive, higher doses can cause serious side effects. At this time, we cannot endorse caffeine as a treatment to slow ALS progression.