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Good news for anyone who is addicted to a few cups of coffee at work. The study links coffee drinking to a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive abilities.
Nscientists from Edith Cowan University (ECU), who looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Samantha Gardener, who leads the project, says they are finding a connection.
“Participants without memory impairment and consuming more coffee at the start of the study had a lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. Which are often an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease, says Gardener.
Control and readiness
High coffee consumption coincided with high levels of specific cognitive functions: planning, self-control and attention.
Drinking coffee also appeared to slow the build-up of protein beta amyloid in the brain. Whether it was because of the ingredient in the coffee or the method of its production, the researchers have not been able to say.
PET scans have already shown several times. That Alzheimer's disease patients have significantly more amyloid plaques in the brain than healthy people. Therefore, protein is believed to be one of the leading causes of Alzheimer's disease.
The study is part of Australian research on aging imaging, biomarkers and lifestyle, under the whose scientists are mapping the development of over 200 Australians over the decade and looking for patterns in biomarkers. But the link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of Alzheimer's has been proven several times.
Norwegians, coffee lovers
The findings do not surprise Professor Emeritus Dag Steinar Thelle in Epidemiology at the Universities of Oslo and Gothenburg.
- There is no doubt that the caffeine in coffee affects cognition. For many, this is the whole point of drinking coffee, such as waking up with coffee in the morning, she tells NTB.
Norway is at the top of the world when it comes to drinking coffee. According Kaffe.no, part of the coffee-drinking population is at a consistently high level and habits have changed little in recent decades.
Thelle has helped map some of the effects coffee has on health. For example, how brewed coffee can increase the risk of high cholesterol.
The link between coffee and the risk of dementia has been observed several times, but we are reluctant to draw solid conclusions. We don't know if there are other unknown variables that influence here, which makes moderate coffee drinkers different from those who drink a lot or don't drink coffee at all, he says.
- Research goes in several directions when it comes to the health benefits of coffee. The best thing to say is that a coffee or two won't hurt, says Thelle.
Would you like some coffee? do not hold back
Earlier this year, Chinese scientists conducted a study, looked at tea and coffee drinking by nearly 366 participants aged 000 to 50 in a British biobank . They were observed for 10-14 years until 2020. People with the lowest risk of stroke or dementia drank 2-3 cups of coffee, 3-5 cups of tea, or a combination of 4-6 cups of coffee and tea each day.
Dr. Gardener says there is even more research to be done into why drinking coffee appears to have a preventive effect on Alzheimer's disease. She adds that the research results seem positive.
- Drinking coffee is an adaptable thing for humans. It can be especially helpful for people who are at risk of developing cognitive dysfunction but have not yet developed symptoms. Maybe we can come up with clear guidelines for middle-aged people and hope for a lasting effect, he says.
- Doubling your consumption to two cups a day has the potential to reduce cognitive decline by 8 percent over a year and a half. This has also been reported to result in 5 percent less accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, he says.
Source: NTB
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