New research finds promise. The positive health effects of drinking coffee have been investigated in a number of recent studies. New research from the University of Texas at El Paso suggests that a compound present in used coffee grounds may help protect the brain from neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The study concludes that “caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs), which can be derived from spent coffee grounds, have the potential to protect brain cells from the damage caused by several neurodegenerative diseases − if the condition is triggered by factors such as obesity, age and exposure to pesticides and other toxic environmental chemicals.” The research also advises that the grounds may even “inhibit the aggregation of amyloid protein fragments” in the brain – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s type dementia. But don’t sprinkle coffee grounds on your food just yet! The study’s authors caution that further observational and clinical studies in humans (as opposed to in vitro) are warranted to examine the effects of the different compounds found in the spent grounds.