Study: Coffee May Improve Memory

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- That morning cup of joe may help reverse memory loss in Alzheimer's patients.

A new study shows caffeine significantly decreases abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer's disease in the brain and blood of mice that show symptoms of the disease.

In the study, 55 mice were genetically altered to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. After displaying signs of memory impairment, the mice were given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day in their drinking water. After two months, the mice that had been given caffeine showed a nearly 50 percent reduction in the levels of beta amyloid, a substance that contributes to the sticky clumps of plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. The study also suggests caffeine suppresses inflammatory changes in the brain that lead to an excess of beta amyloid.

"The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable 'treatment' for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy," Gary Arendash, Ph.D., a University of South Florida neuroscientist with the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Tampa, Fla., was quoted saying. "That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process."

SOURCE: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, published online July 5, 2009