Coffee vs. Alzheimer's disease

last updated 8 January 2015

"Tell this to the next nudnik who gives you a hard time for sucking down a cup of joe," said Truthdig. "A study of mice suggests that coffee could reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s and prevent the onset of dementia." Old mice showed cognitive improvement when they consumed the equivalent of five cups of coffee daily.

The researchers say this means the caffeine in coffee could do more than help prevent Alzheimer's, said Science Daily. It could be an effective treatment of the disease. Now the University of South Florida researchers who published the report in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease plan to take the next step, and begin human trials to see whether caffeine can benefit people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease.

If they're looking for volunteers, count me in, said Rich Bowden in The Tech Herald. The researchers think caffeine might suppress inflammatory changes in the brain that lead to an overabundance of beta amyloid, a substance forming sticky clumps of plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. So the mice with cognitive problems did better on tests for memory and thinking skills after taking caffeine—"fellow caffeine addicts, rejoice!"