3 Cups of Coffee Daily Delays Alzheimer's Onset - Food Product ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. and MIAMI?Older individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who drink up to three cups of coffee a day may help ward off progression to full-blown Alzheimer?s disease by up to two to four years compared to those who consume less caffeine, according to a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami collaborated on the study to investigate how caffeine/coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk of dementia or delayed onset. The study involved 124 people, ages 65 to 88, in Tampa and Miami who had mild cognitive impairment (MCI). About 15% of people with MCI develop full-blown Alzheimer's disease each year.

Blood caffeine levels at the study?s onset were substantially lower (51% lower) in participants diagnosed with MCI who progressed to dementia during the 2- to 4-year follow-up than in those whose mild cognitive impairment remained stable over the same period. No one with MCI who later developed Alzheimer?s had initial blood caffeine levels above a critical level of 1n200 ng/ml?equivalent to drinking several cups of coffee a few hours before the blood sample was drawn. In contrast, many with stable MCI had blood caffeine levels higher than this critical level.

?We found that 100% of the MCI patients with plasma caffeine levels above the critical level experienced no conversion to Alzheimer?s disease during the 2- to 4-year follow-up period," said study co-author Dr. Gary Arendash.

The researchers said higher blood caffeine levels indicate habitually higher caffeine intake, most probably through coffee. Caffeinated coffee appeared to be the main, if not exclusive, source of caffeine in the memory-protected MCI patients, because they had the same profile of blood immune markers as Alzheimer?s mice given caffeinated coffee. Alzheimer?s mice given caffeine alone or decaffeinated coffee had a very different immune marker profile.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 65-and-over population will reach 88.5 million by 2050, making them an ideal market for beverages that fuel their golden years. Check out the ?Beverages for Healthy Aging" in Food Product Design?s Content Library to learn more about what?s trending in that category.

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