Alzheimer’s is one of the most feared human diseases. It robs your memory and then your life. As many as 2.3 to 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). These numbers are likely to increase as more baby boomers find themselves entering old age and becoming more prone to getting Alzheimer’s. To date there haven’t been many promising strategies to reduce or reverse Alzheimer’s, despite a healthy lifestyle and mental stimulation, which are supposed to delay and decrease the chances of getting the disease. However, research has recently shown that caffeine may be able to fight and even reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s, so perhaps coffee is good for you after all.
A team of University of South Florida researchers experimented with 55 lab mice which were bred to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms by giving aged mice caffeine equivalent to five cups of coffee a day and discovered that the mice’s memory impairment was reversed. In medical terms, this happened because the caffeine substantially decreased the abnormal levels of beta amyloid, a protein that is linked to Alzheimer’s, in both the blood and brain of the mice.
These findings suggest that caffeine may be an effective form of not only prevention, but also treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. So maybe all it takes to prevent, or even reverse Alzheimer’s is your daily dose of coffee.