For those of us wondering if we drink too much coffee may want to hold off on going cold turkey. Studies are coming out that show that coffee has more and more benefits. A team of German and French researchers have demonstrated that caffeine has a positive effect on tau deposits, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. They showed how giving regular doses of caffeine to mice bred to develop tau protein deposits in their brains slowed memory decline compared to control mice.
Jointly led by Dr. Christa E. Müller of the University of Bonn and Dr. David Blum of the University of Lille, the researchers report their findings in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.
Their studies in mice are encouraging and may lead to a new class of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s Disease.
What is going on?
There are two chemicals in the brain that are present in Alzheimer’s patients, tau deposits – proteins that clog up the insides brain cells, and amyloid-beta proteins that clog up the spaces between brain cells.
As we age our ability to clean up excess amyloid-beta proteins is reduced. It appears that 2 – 3 8 oz cups of coffee slows the production of the amyloids so the body can keep up with the cleaning.
It’s not clear how caffeine works in tau affected brains but studies in mice show that in control groups mice with similar levels of the protein in their brains function better when caffeine is present.
Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":
Multiple beneficial effects of caffeine to normalize brain function and prevent its degeneration
Caffeine's neuroprotective profile and its ability to reduce amyloid-beta production
Caffeine as a candidate disease-modifying agent for Alzheimer's disease
Positive impact of caffeine on cognition and memory performance
Identification of adenosine A2A receptors as the main target for neuroprotection afforded by caffeine consumption
Confirmation of data through valuable meta-analyses presented
Epidemiological studies corroborated by meta-analysis suggesting that caffeine may be protective against Parkinson's disease
Several methodological issues must be solved before advancing to decisive clinical trials
Coffee and Adults
According to the findings, people older than 65 who had higher blood levels of caffeine developed Alzheimer's disease two to four years later than their counterparts with lower caffeine levels. The findings will appear in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
The studies recommend that people over the age of 30 consume 3 8 oz cups of coffee per day to get enough caffeine to slow effects of the aging on the brain.
Posted on: 2014-04-25 12:00 AM 
