Caffeine May Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s

By on July 9, 2009 in Uncategorized

Two studies in the July 2009 issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease show that five cups of coffee a day reverse memory loss in mice with Alzheimer’s disease.  The coffee also reduced blood and brain levels of beta-amyloid,the abnormal protein that may cause Alzheimer’s disease in mice and people.
Other studies by the same researchers at the University of Florida show that caffeine lowers blood levels of beta-amyloid in elderly non-demented humans, and when given in early adulthood, prevents memory loss in mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s disease in old age. Previous studies on rabbits also showed that caffeine may help to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Committee plan to start studies in humans to evaluate whether caffeine can prevent memory loss of early Alzheimer’s disease. Other experiments by the same group show that caffeine may prevent memory loss by blocking the enzymes that make beta amyloid.

The amount of caffeine in two to five cups of coffee (200 to 500 milligrams) is probably safe, but more than five cups a day may cause insomnia, nervousness, irritability, nausea, anxiety, a fast or irregular heartbeat, headaches, breast pain or muscle tremors. People who have high blood pressure or narrowed arteries leading to the heart may be advised to restrict caffeine. However, the Nurse’s Study showed that heavy coffee drinking is not associated with increased risk for high blood pressure. Unfiltered coffee raises blood levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and blood sugar levels after eating.  Pregnant women are advised to restrict caffeine since it may cause miscarriage or low birth weight.

Many studies show that caffeine can improve mood, alertness and energy, prevent diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver cancer, decrease the risk of stroke and may help prevent skin cancer. It also increases endurance in athletes.

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About dr.gabe.mirkin

A practicing physician for more than 40 years and a radio talk show host for 25, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is one of a very few doctors board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology.

Dr. Mirkin's latest book is The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by HarperCollins. He wrote the chapter on sports injuries for the Merck Manual (both lay and physicians' editions), the largest selling book worldwide with over one million copies in print. His daily short features on fitness have been heard on CBS Radio News stations since the 1970's. He has written 16 books including The Sportsmedicine Book, the best-selling book on the subject that has been translated into many languages. More books

Dr. Mirkin did his residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and over the years he has served as a Teaching Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, and Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Dr. Mirkin has run more than forty marathons and is now a serious tandem bike rider with his wife, Diana, often doing 30-60 miles in an outing.

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3 Responses to Caffeine May Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s

  1. 4Michael July 10, 2009 at 10:30 am #

    wow Dr.Gabe sounds great,now as long as in 5 months ,there's not a study disproving these studies ,in the mean time I'm on board .

    Thankyou for taking the time providing this information ,I think Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are two of the scariest diseases I can imagine ,considering they both run in my family.

    All the best

    Michael

  2. mscosmiccat July 10, 2009 at 1:35 pm #

    Being a coffee lover, this is more good news about the benefits of my favorite beverage (other than water) But ….. how in the heck do they managed to get those mice to drink five cups of coffee a day in order to come to their conclusions? By cup, I take you to mean 8 fluid ounces. Or are the mice being served their java in little bitty mice cups? LOL

    Ms Cosmiccat

  3. Moonlady July 17, 2009 at 8:45 am #

    QUESTION for Dr. Gabe,

    Thanks for confirming the great health benefits of coffee. I love drinking coffee as do most people living here in Germany and in Europe, where its served very robust & flavorful. However, having had low-blood sugar most of my life I simply can't tolerate the caffeine. I've read about how caffeine negatively affects the adrenals. Therefore, any recommendations for me so that I can enjoy a great cappuccino without having to always choose decaf?

    Also, can anyone tell me how to pose a question directly to someone and not just as a comment?

    Thanks,

    Phyllis