14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific investigation, it would appear that drinking coffee has a positive effect on the human brain, in the sense that it prevents the development of various disorders and neural degeneration that usually come with old age. The investigators say that caffeine, the active ingredient that gives coffee drinkers their “buzz,” could be contributing to fighting off terrible diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, thus increasing seniors' quality of life, LiveScience reports.
The chemical has been known to cause short-term boosts of memory functions for many years, but investigators have thus far failed to see the therapeutic value of the compound. Even in animal testings, caffeine consumption proved to be beneficial. Creatures that consumed the chemical for prolonged periods of time exhibited lesser memory dysfunction and neurodegeration than controls that were not given the compound. In humans, long-term consumption has been linked to a significantly reduced incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, researchers say. The new work was conducted by Portugese researchers at the University of Lisbon and the University of Coimbra.
The teams were led by neuroscientists Alexandre de Mendonca, and Rodrigo A. Cunha, respectively. Detailed results of the investigation appear in the latest issue of the esteemed scientific publication Journal of Alzheimer's Research. According to Cunha, the correlation was only found to appear in people who tended to consume moderate amounts of coffee (no more than four small cups) over many years. Another factor that the experts took into account was the frequency with which test subjects ingested caffeine in various forms. If the chemical was taken at regular intervals, then indeed the chances of neurodegenerative disorders settling in dropped.
“We are all desperate for a cure, but I would be very cautious about gobbling down 8 cups of coffee to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. It's interesting scientifically and chemically, but it’s not a call to action yet,” the Director of the Northwestern University Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CNADC), Marsel Mesulam, says. “We still cannot make a strong statement in terms of the mechanisms by which caffeine affords this protective effect,” Cunha admits. “The ultimate result would be to take people with Alzheimer’s and give them coffee and others with a placebo and to show that coffee makes a difference. I don’t think that’s been shown,” Mesulam concludes.