Your regular morning coffee may prevent Alzheimers

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Coffee has had its fair share of negative publicity over recent years. Its been linked with a wide range of health related issues from cardiovascular problems to ulcers. And while excessive consumption is never advised, coffee in moderation does appear to have certain health benefits. One area that has seen a flurry of research since the turn of the century is the effect caffeine has on the prevention and possible treatment of Alzheimer’s.

 

What causes Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia effecting approximately one in twenty five over the age of 65. The neurodegenerative disease leads to progressive cognitive decline, caused by the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide in the brain.

Beta-amyloid peptide is an amino acid that is the main compound of the amyloid plaques found in the brain of people suffering from Alzheimers. The plaques are thought to be toxic to nerve cells and a number of studies (1) support the concept that beta-amyloid plays a central role in the onset and development of Alzheimers.

Beta-amyloid doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s, we are all born with this type of protein in our brains. Things go wrong when the protein accumulates in the brain because we’re at an age when it’s no longer sufficiently metabolised. The human body can’t handle the excess and the leftover protein builds up as plaque.

It’s this sticky protein fragment in the brain that can trigger the disruption and destruction of nerve cells, ultimately leading to Alzheimers.

 

Research

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s (1) highlighted that caffeine significantly decreased the levels of beta-amyloid in the brains of mice by nearly 50%.

The mice were genetically altered to develop memory problems that mimic the symptoms of Alzheimers. When they reached 18 months, around 70 in human years, and started to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the researchers gave the mice caffeine in their drinking water equivalent to around 5 cups of coffee a day. At the end of the two-month study the mice performed cognitive and memory tests that were identical to normal aged mice without dementia.

A further study from the University of Kuopio (2), Finland and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, looked at figures from 1,409 adults aged 65 to 79 who they followed for an average of 21 years. Of these, 61 had been diagnosed with dementia.

Results showed that moderate coffee drinkers had a 65 percent lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life than the other groups.

 

How coffee could prevent Alzheimers

So the question remains how does this happen?

Research on how coffee effects cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production may hold the answer. In a study by Pusan National University (3) researchers found that the long-term consumption of caffeine induced ventriculomegaly in 40% of the study rats.

Ventriculomegaly is the dilation of the lateral ventricles in the brain and in the case of the caffeine-treated rates, this dilation resulted in in the increased production of CSF and increased cerebral blood flow (CBF).

The conclusions of the studies (4/5) indicate that the improvements in CFS and CBF could increase the clearance of potentially toxic metabolites, such as beta-amyloid in the brain. Ultimately reducing the build up of plaque.

While the current research isn’t conclusive, it seems reasonable to speculate that long-term caffeine consumption could exert protective effects against Alzheimer’s. The next challenge is to turn this promising research into ways that can be safely used in humans.

So while excessive coffee consumption is probably best avoided, enjoying your regular cup of morning coffee in the morning may just turn out to be beneficial for you after all.

 

About the author: Nick Huxsted is an independent writer who’s interested in biology and the effects coffee has on the body. He currently writes for Joe Black Coffee in Liverpool and is a regular contributor to Hip & Healthy.

 

Research

(1)Caffeine Reverses Cognitive Impairment and Decreases Brain Amyloid-β Levels in Aged Alzheimer’s Disease Mice; Gary W Arendash, Takashi Mori, Chuanhai Cao, Malgorzata Mamcarz, Melissa Runfeldt, Alexander Dickson, Kavon Rezai-Zadeh, Jun Tan, Bruce A Citron, Xiaoyang Lin, Valentina Echeverria, and Huntington Potter; Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Volume 17:3 (July 2009).

(2)Eskelinen, M. H. et al. Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia: A Population-based CAIDE Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Vol. 16, 2009, in press.

(3)Regulation of cerebrospinal fluid production by caffeine consumption

Myoung-Eun Han, Hak-Jin Kim, Young-Suk Lee, Dong-Hyun Kim, Joo-Taek Choi, Chul-Sik Pan, Sik Yoon, Sun-Yong Baek, Bong-Seon Kim, Jae-Bong Kim, Sae-Ock Oh

BMC Neurosci. 2009; 10: 110. Published online 2009 September 3. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-10-110

PMCID: PMC2744679

(4)International Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 617420
Increased Cerebrospinal Fluid Production as a Possible Mechanism Underlying Caffeine’s Protective Effect against Alzheimer’s Disease

(5)International Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 617420, 6 pages

Increased Cerebrospinal Fluid Production as a Possible Mechanism Underlying Caffeine’s Protective Effect against Alzheimer’s Disease

(6)Chen, X. et al. Caffeine blocks disruption of blood brain barrier in a rabbit model of Alzheimer’s disease. The Journal of Neuroinflammation, Vol. 5, April 3, 2008.

Nick Huxsted
Nick Huxsted works for Will Williams Meditation in London. Their aim is to help people live the happiest, healthiest lives they can through the ancient practice of Vedic meditation.