Good news for those of us who can't face the day without our morning coffee: a long-term study has shown that drinking more coffee may make you less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers from Edith Cowan University looked at the cognitive decline of more than 200 Australians over the course of a decade, and found that coffee intake had an effect.
Coffee has an association with markers related to Alzheimer's disease, according to the lead investigator.
She said that participants with no memory impairments and with higher coffee consumption at the beginning of the study had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease over the course of the study.
The results of drinking more coffee were positive in relation to certain cognitive functions, such as planning, self-control, and attention.
Coffee intake seemed to be linked to slowing the build up of amyloid in the brain, a key factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
The study indicated that drinking coffee could be an easy way to delay the start of Alzheimer's disease.
She said that it's a simple thing that people can change.
It could be useful for people who haven't developed any symptoms of cognitive decline.
We might be able to develop some clear guidelines for people in middle age, and hopefully it will have a lasting effect.
Make it a double.
If you only drink one cup of coffee a day, the study indicates you might be better off treating yourself to an extra cup, although a maximum number of cups per day that provided a beneficial effect was not able to be established from the current study.
Dr Gardener said that if the average cup of coffee is 240g, increasing to two cups a day could potentially lower cognitive decline by eight per cent after 18 months.
It could see a five per cent decrease in the amount of amyloid in the brain.
Alzheimer's disease is caused by clumps of amyloid in the brain.
The study couldn't differentiate between the benefits and consequences of how coffee is prepared, and the difference between caffeinated and de-caffeinated coffee.
Coffee and brain function are worth pursuing.
She said that they need to evaluate if coffee intake could be a lifestyle factor to delay the start of Alzheimer's disease.
More than just coffee.
Coffee has been shown to have positive effects on brain health.
Coffee may not be the sole contributor to delaying Alzheimer's disease, according to preliminary research.
Coffee components such as cafestol, kahweol and Eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide have been shown to be effective in preventing memory impairment in mice.
The data from the Australian study was published in the journal Frontiers of Ageing Neuroscience.
The story was told
Edith Cowan University provided materials. Content can be edited for style and length.
Journal reference
Christopher Fowler, Colin L. Masters, Paul Maruff, Pierrick Bourgeat, Kevin Taddei, Victor L. Villemagne, and David Ames are all alumni. Coffee consumption is associated with slower cognitive decline and less cerebral a-Amyloid Accumulation over 126 months. The 13th edition of Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience was published.
