A new study has found drinking coffee could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Miami tested the blood caffeine levels and cognitive ability of 124 people aged 65 to 68.
Over the space of two to four years, they found that the people who had developed dementia had caffeine levels 51 percent lower than those who had not developed some kind of memory impairment.
"These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee – about three cups a day – will not convert to Alzheimer's disease … or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer's," said lead study author Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the USF College of Pharmacy and the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute.
"The results from this study, along with our earlier studies in Alzheimer's mice, are very consistent in indicating that moderate daily caffeine/coffee intake throughout adulthood should appreciably protect against Alzheimer's disease later in life."
The study authors focused on people who showed the early signs of the disease – called mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – because many of them would develop Alzheimer’s in the coming years.
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