Caffeine Appears To Be Beneficial In Males, But Not Females, With Lou Gehrig's Disease

This study was with mice, so we can't know for sure that it will apply to people, although it's an indication that it might well do so. Physicist Stephen Hawking, author of "A Brief History of Time", has ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was recently hospitalized with a chest infection, but the most recent news I've seen (last Wed., April 22) is that he's recovering. I wish him well."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417084012.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2009) — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease that damages key neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The disease causes progressive paralysis of voluntary muscles and often death within five years of symptoms. Although ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) was discovered over a century ago, neither the cause nor a cure have been found, but several mechanisms seem to play a role in its development, including oxidative stress.
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According to Ms. Seevaratnam, “If we were to extrapolate these results to human patients with ALS, then coffee appears to be beneficial for men, both reducing oxidative stress and cell death, and increasing antioxidants. But for women, caffeine appears to be harmful. Women with the disorder may want to restrict caffeine consumption, or switch to decaffeinated products which contain the antioxidants, but with little caffeine.”