This is where Mike gets to feel vindicated for his two-pot-a-day habit. It looks like he’s apt to be mentally competent long after I’ve turned into a drooling, gibbering vegetable. Well, more so.
According to a study conducted at the University of South Florida, there appears to be another benefit to caffeine consumption beyond preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s. It may help reduce the development of the plaques that are associated with the disease, and help preserve brain function, in effect rolling back the symptoms of the dementia common with Alzheimer’s.
The study’s tests, conducted on genetically engineered mice, which were given the equivalent of five cups of coffee (500mg of caffeine) daily, suggested that it affects the production of both enzymes needed to produce beta amyloid, the protein in the tell-tale plaque. The paper’s authors also observed that caffeine may also suppress certain types of brain inflammation, which can also lead to an overabundance of beta amyloid.
This research in mice suggests that coffee may actually reverse some element of memory impairment. However, much more research is needed to determine whether drinking coffee has the same impact in people. It is too soon to say whether a cup of coffee is anything more than a pleasant pick-me-up.
– Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society
Whether this benefit is java-centric, or is more generally due to caffeine consumption, regardless of source, wasn’t made absolutely clear. For folks who dislike coffee, or simply prefer to get their caffeine via alternate means, there’s still hope that other options will provide this benefit.
That’s the good news. The flip side of the coin is that there are potential health risks with long-term over-consumption of caffeine — stuff like sleep disruption, stresses on the endocrine system, caffeine addiction and/or withdrawal, jitters and irritability, and an overwhelming urge to move to Ethiopia, Colombia, Indonesia, or Seattle.
Coffee fans, there’s also one more reason to celebrate your beverage of choice: Coffee Merit Badges.
[BBC link courtesy of Jay Lake, on LiveJournal]
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