High Blood Caffeine Levels in Older Adults Linked to Avoidance of Alzheimer's Disease

[2on2u]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120604142615.htm

High Blood Caffeine Levels in Older Adults Linked to Avoidance of Alzheimer’s Disease

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2012) — Those cups of coffee that you drink every day to keep alert appear to have an extra perk -- especially if you're an older adult. A recent study monitoring the memory and thinking processes of people older than 65 found that all those with higher blood caffeine levels avoided the onset of Alzheimer's disease in the two-to-four years of study follow-up. Moreover, coffee appeared to be the major or only source of caffeine for these individuals.

Researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami say the case control study provides the first direct evidence that caffeine/coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk of dementia or delayed onset. Their findings will appear in the online version of an article to be published June 5 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The collaborative study involved 124 people, ages 65 to 88, in Tampa and Miami.

"These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee -- about 3 cups a day -- will not convert to Alzheimer's disease -- or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer's," said study lead 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."

[Lns.Lns]

1. Thank goodness

I like my coffee... good to hear about new "benefits".

[madinmaryland]

6. Welcome to DU!! Yeah, I get my 3-5 cups of coffee a day! Hopefully it helps.

[Lns.Lns]

34. Finally a helpful vice... and thank you.

This kind of reminds me of the Woody Allen film Sleeper. I wait for things that they say are bad that turn out to be good for you.

[Wait Wut]

16. Gross.

Coffee is evil and the smell makes me

But, I take a caffeine pill every morning, so I'm all good. I think. If I remember to take it...wait...


Whatever, Welcome!!!!

[Lns.Lns]

30. Funny and thank you.

[AndyTiedye]

31. Make Mine Mountain Dew Throwback

Caffeine and real sugar yeah!

[hobbit709]

2. Good thing I'm a caffeine based lifeform

[RedCappedBandit]

3. Excellent

Gotten over a number of addictions, but my coffee isn't going anywhere.

[Paka]

14. I still nurture most of my addictions...

but were I to start discarding them, coffee would likely be the last to go. Choosing between ganja and joe would be difficult, I must admit, but I think that coffee would win out.

[LiberalAndProud]

4. I think I've immunized myself.

Mmmmmmm, Coffee.

[TheWraith]

5. Much of what they used to think was bad for you ends up being good.

Turns out that there's no scientific evidence that salt is bad for you at all.

Mild use of alcohol scrubs cholesterol out of the blood, reducing heart disease.

Caffeine keeps your brain from developing destructive plaques.

Next we'll find out that having loads of sex keeps your kidneys healthy.

[karynnj]

13. Not quite Woody Allen's Sleeper situation, but close enough

that it was the first thing I thought of reading your post.

[Wait Wut]

19. I have low blood pressure...

...so that salt thing wasn't necessarily "good" news for me.

I go through medical flip-flops on a month-to-month basis because of my stupid fibromyalgia. I went for three months avoiding friggin' tomatoes because they said "bad". Not bad...good, now. New thing...Magnesium. /sigh Vitacost just got another order from me.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Excellent!

[elleng]

8. Darn! I drink DEcaffeinated,

to reduce anxiety!

[KansDem]

9. All right!

Extra-dark French Roast for me!

[taught_me_patience]

12. Dark roasts actually have less caffine than lighter blends

The longer roast burns off more the caffine. Hence, breakfast blends, usually light, have more caffine for the morning perk.

[KansDem]

27. Well, then I'll just have to drink more dark roast...

...to make up for the less caffeine!

[xchrom]

10. I have at least 4 cups of good strong coffee every morning.

I love my coffee!

[pipoman]

11. Good for me

both because I'm a coffee drinker and because I run a restaurant/coffee shop in a retirement community..I'll be encouraging residents to drink 3 cups a day..

[2on2u]

15. Your sig makes me think of what might be said at a bakery owned by Mr. Monk. n/t

[pipoman]

22. De Niro in Casino..

the look on the chef's face is great..

[malaise]

17. Great news

We drink three or four cups a day of the finest blue mountain variety

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. It looks like tobacco and coffee may have some use after all

Dr. Michael Mullan, one of the world's foremost authorities on Alzheimer's and the man who first proposed the connection between the disease and amyloid beta plaque deposits in the brain has isolated a substance from the tobacco leaf called "anatabine". It has been extensively tested in his lab for its ability to reduce the brain inflammation associated with the growth of these plaques. I've been giving my mother anatabine from his lab (sold under the name Anatabloc) for about a year and her Alzheimer's seems to have stabilized and I continue to have my fingers crossed.

[life long demo]

20. Now I know why when I wake up in the morning

my brain doesn't function till I get that cup of coffee, mmm mmm good to the last drop. But I prefer columbian, full body.

[kentauros]

21. Good thing I love chai

with black tea (or sometimes green.) Can't stand coffee unless it's as sweet as a soda and as creamy as ice cream (including being frozen.)

[virgogal]

23. And I'm one of the old coffee drinkers. Several

years ago my long time M.D told me to give up caffeine.

I looked her right in the eye and said,"Nope,not gonna". She shrugged,laughed,and let it go.

[flamingdem]

24. Where'd I put my keys???!!

I'm going to Starbucks

[2on2u]

26. There is nothing like a Starbucks made brew... but I purchase beans there,

grind them a couple scoops at a time and run them through a Delonghi pump espresso unit, that is pretty much the only way I drink it, one in the am, one in the evening and on the weekends, well I'd rather not say. I have found several higher quality units on Amazon and they are priced right.

[flamingdem]

28. yum, I'll have to try one of those expresso units

Are you not happy with the Delonghi?

[2on2u]

32. It's been a great low end unit, plastic all around, however it never

messes up. A burr grinder is what I have been told is important and they are not expensive, the burr eats away at the beans sort of like a wood burr and you can set it I believe to get the exact grain size that makes a more proper product.

If you want you can check out the one I have had my eye on for months at:

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC702-15-Bar-Pump-Espresso-Stainless/dp/B001CNG7RY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338854875&sr=8-1

And this one for 59 used is a good unit, I gave one for a wedding gift and the couple is crazy about it. Some of the used units are listed in LIKE NEW condition and if filled by Amazon you have nothing to lose.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-BAR32-Retro-Espresso-Cappuccino/dp/B0002A3S66/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1338854875&sr=8-7

[flamingdem]

35. Thanks, I am going for it

but have to decide what to spend.

The only concern is that drip has less acid, but I have to research

[etherealtruth]

25. Cut me and I bleed strong black coffee

I laugh in the face of those that measure their intake in cups .... thankful for an upside to my lifelong addiction.

[LeftofObama]

29. I will never ever ever give up my coffee!

I told the doctor the same thing. I only have two large cups every morning and a couple of small cups in the evening a couple times a week, but when I want it, I want it!

[kestrel91316]

33. I'm gonna read the whole article when I have a change to grab a cuppa joe and sit down.

[Logical]

36. Why not coke?

[morningfog]

37. There is much less caffeine in Coke.

To get the equivalent in your blood as a few cups of coffee, the negative effects probably vastly outweigh any benefit. In other words, those who may have had enough caffeine from only Coke were probably not alive to participate in the study.

[2on2u]

41. ??? thirty some odd grams of sugar for each can you drink? I don't

think a person can survive it.

[Initech]

38. Cool - with the amount of caffeine I drink I should live to 112 then!

[Nye Bevan]

39. Well that sucks for the Mormons (nt)

[RebelOne]

40. I do not drink coffee,

but I take caffeine pills, one in the morning to wake me up and one in the afternoon to keep me going, which is equal to 4 cups a day. Maybe that is why I am not prone to have Alzheimer's, since I am now 73.

[Quantess]

42. Really, caffeine pills?

You don't like the taste of coffee, or what? Just curious. It's none of my business, really.

[Egalitarian Thug]

43. Woo hoo! My brain's gonna live forever! K&R.