flickr photo/Ahmed Rabea
Caffeine. If there is anything we humans love, it’s a jolt of energy from this seductive stimulant.
Across the board and across the world, you will find folks consuming caffeine in the form of plant-derived drinks, namely coffee, tea, cocoa and Yerba Maté (a tea brewed from holly leaves, popular in South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay).
Americans—the number-one consumers of coffee—have a a particular affinity for the dark brew. Eighty percent of the population drinks coffee, and more than half of us drink it every day.
Over the years, results have been mixed as to whether your morning Joe is a beneficial habit or a vice that is detrimental to your health. It seems to depend on whatever new scientific findings the media are currently chasing.
Talking 'bout regeneration
At the moment, the invigorating brew is enjoying a resounding thumbs-up from the medical community.
News sources are reporting the memorable findings of the University of South Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. According to center researchers, caffeine may help reverse Alzheimer’s disease.
Two separate studies, conducted back-to-back by essentially the same team and published in the July 2009 Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, focused on mice with high levels of beta amyloid. Beta amyloid is a substance responsible for the sticky bunches of plaques that are the calling card of Alzheimer’s disease.
The mice, bred to develop an excess of these “senile plaques,” began to exhibit Alzheimer’s-like symptoms at 8 or 9 months. When they reached 18 or 19 months (70 in human years), they were given drinking water spiked with 500 milligrams of caffeine for two months. By the time they were slipped the caffeine mickey, they had already developed significant cognitive impairment.
After two months on a revved-up regime, the mice scored as well on memory tests as those who had never displayed signs of dementia.
A control group, also specially bred to develop Alzheimer’s and given only plain drinking water, showed no improvement.
The scientists hypothesize that caffeine reduces production of the two enzymes needed to form beta amyloid, and that the stimulant suppresses inflammatory changes that help lead to a buildup of the plaques.
Of mice and men
To put the rodents’ 500-milligram daily grind in perspective, there are 415 milligrams of caffeine in each venti cup of Starbucks drip coffee, while a home-brewed cup averages 135 milligrams.
I don’t quite get the math, but ADRC scientists say that people can get the equivalent of the mice’s dosage by drinking five 8 oz. cups of coffee per day.
It should be noted that mice who had never displayed Alzheimer’s symptoms didn’t develop enhanced cognitive abilities a la “The Secret of NIMH” after a few weeks on the juice.
The ADRC findings suggest “that caffeine will not increase memory performance above normal levels,” explained USF neuroscientist Gary Arendash. “Rather, it appears to benefit those destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease.”
Okay, so there’s no such thing as a miracle smart drug. Nonetheless, these studies are exciting. Academic language notwithstanding, their conclusions are pretty clear:
The first, Caffeine Reverses Cognitive Impairment and Decreases Brain Amyloid-β Levels in Aged Alzheimer’s Disease Mice, states that there is “a treatment potential of caffeine in cases of established AD.”
The second, Caffeine Suppresses Amyloid-β Levels in Plasma and Brain of Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mice, predicts that sufficient caffeine intake may protect those who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease from developing the condition.
The next step, says Arendash, is for the ADRC to obtain funding for clinical trials in which people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease would be treated with caffeine.
He is optimistic about the results of such trials.
“. . .Caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process,” Arendash said.
Defensive drink
Benjamin Franklin once advised, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
It seems that those who wish to prevent Alzheimer’s might do well to pick up a pound of coffee at the supermarket.
After all, it’s not just forgetful mice that respond well to caffeine.
The ADRC studies were inspired by findings such as those of a team of Finnish and Swedish researchers, published earlier this year in the January 2009 edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
The study looked at people who had been interviewed during their midlife years in a series of surveys on Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE), conducted in 1972, 1977, 1982 and 1987. Some 1,409 of the original CAIDE sample, now aged 65 to 79, were selected at random for a follow-up examination in 1998.
Of these, 61 were identified as having developed dementia. In 48 cases, the cognitive impairment was associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the study, Midlife Coffee and Tea Drinking and the Risk of Late-Life Dementia: A Population-Based CAIDE Study, there was a positive correlation between coffee and intact mental facilities:
“Coffee drinkers at midlife had lower risk of dementia and AD later in life compared with those drinking no or only little coffee adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and [various pre-existing health risks]. The lowest risk (65% decreased) was found in people who drank 3-5 cups per day.”
Killer condition
The statistics on the Alzheimer's disease are pretty rattling, so it would be a great boon if caffeine could help prevent and fight the condition.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association:
• As many as 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older.
• Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death.
The disease—which typically shows up after age 60—is incurable and fatal. An online fact sheet produced by the National Institute on Aging minces no words about its seriousness:
“Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.”
If you’ve loved someone with Alzheimer’s disease, you know the symptoms all too well. Here are 10 signs of the onset of the illness, enumerated by the Alzheimer’s Association:
1) Memory changes that disrupt daily life
2) Challenges in planning or solving problems
3) Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
4) Confusion with time or place
5) Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6) New problems with words in speaking or writing
7) Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8) Decreased or poor judgment
9) Withdrawal from work or social activities
10) Changes in mood and personality
Rereading the list, I suddenly have an urge for a cup of coffee.
And yet, the caffeine green light leaves me with questions. Most of us don’t drink our coffee black. I have at least the requisite five cups throughout the day, the heat and flavor tempered by the addition of sugar and cream.
Don’t get me started on impact of the chocolate, sugar, dairy and even caramel contained in many of the specialty coffees of which we Americans have become so enamored. At 420 calories, it is probably best to think of a grande mocha Frappucino with whipped cream as a rich dessert rather than a requisite afternoon pick-me-up.
If people decide to up their coffee intake, how can they keep their calories down? Couldn’t all the extra sugar packets exacerbate the obesity epidemic and associated conditions like diabetes?
Sure, we can use skim milk and artificial sweetener. But don't some individuals and organizations—the Center for Science at the Public Interest, for instance—maintain that sweeteners such as aspartame can contribute to cancer, despite a go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov/) and the National Cancer Institute?
And what about the widely reported link between caffeine and osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disorder that poses particular danger to women?
(Most experts now say the slight calcium-leaching impact of coffee can be offset by adding a teaspoon or two of milk to your coffee, or by consuming the equivalent of a glass of milk a day. Ostensibly, this could include eating green leafy vegetables or taking calcium supplements.)
Then again, too many questions can filter the joy out of life. All of my queries can probably be answered with one word: moderation.
My conclusions?
Alzheimer’s disease? Bad. Research leading to a potential treatment? Great.
Coffee? Sure. I was already drinking five cups a day before I heard the good news.
*Looking for a place to get your dose of caffeine? Check out Urbanspoon Los Angeles’ picks for the 10 best coffee spots in L.A., which is accompanied by a nifty map of area coffeehouses and coffee shops.
Comments
yeah,I love coffee,always good news to hear that it is healthy!!
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