Coffee Drinkers Have Lower Odds of Multiple Sclerosis

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis suggests coffee drinkers have lower odds of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with non-drinkers, but the authors caution that the evidence is inconsistent across studies.

MS is a long-term disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord, damaging the protective covering around nerve fibers (myelin) and potentially affecting movement, balance, vision and more.

Across eight studies that compared people with MS to controls without MS, coffee consumption was associated with 22% lower odds of MS in pooled analysis. However, based on the study design, the results do not necessarily prove that coffee prevents MS or that coffee is the reason for the difference, according to the research team.

The findings, which were published online in November 2025 in Neurodegenerative Disease Management, came from a research team affiliated with multiple academic institutions in Iran. 

In a summary of the findings, the authors noted that coffee contains caffeine plus other compounds that “may have anti-inflammatory and protective effects on the brain and nervous system,” offering one possible reason for its protective association against MS. 

The research team screened 521 records sourced through academic repositories including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Ovid and Google Scholar. Their meta-analysis involved a total of nearly 2,200 MS cases and more than 2,300 control cases. 

The authors did present a red flag based on how widely individual study results varied. The researchers attributed that variability to different study designs, populations and how coffee intake was measured, among other factors. 

For example, a 2016 analysis of two independent case-control studies (Sweden and the U.S.) reported lower odds of MS among people with very high coffee consumption (about 30 ounces or more daily).

Yet genetic studies that have tried to establish causality have not always aligned with such findings. A 2020 Mendelian randomization study reported no evidence that coffee consumption is causally associated with MS risk, which is one reason researchers often say “association” should not be treated as “prevention.”

“Coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of MS in pooled analysis, but the substantial heterogeneity limits the strength and generalizability of this conclusion,” the authors of the new study wrote. “Larger, multi-centric studies are recommended.”

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