Drinking coffee may delay progress of Alzheimer's

University of South Florida researchers at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center say that three large cups of java can reduce the risk of memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Caffeine shows effects in mice
Scientists in their studies conducted on mice showed how drinking large amount of coffee could help to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease and even reverse the memory-robbing condition.

The studies, published in the July 5 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, highlighted that daily caffeine consumption reversed memory issues in mice bred to develop symptoms associated with this neurodegenerative disorder.

"The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable 'treatment' for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy," lead author Gary Arendash, a University of South Florida neuroscientist, said in a news release. "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."

According to the researchers, a key aspect of Alzheimer's is sticky clumps of an abnormal protein called beta amyloid plaques which build up on the brain of AD patients. It is believed that coffee stimulant caffeine actually restricts the progression of this dangerous plaque, thus reducing symptoms of the memory-robbing illness.

How the research was conducted
To reach their findings, Dr Arendash and colleagues studied 55 mice that had been genetically engineered to develop dementia symptoms mimicking Alzheimer’s disease as they aged.

After behavioral tests confirmed, the mice were exhibiting signs of cognitive function impairment at age 18 to 19 months, which is about age 70 in human years.

The research team then divided the mice in two groups- half the mice had caffeine in their drinking water, while the other half drank plain water.

The genetically engineered animals were given a daily dose of caffeine in their drinking water- equivalent of five 8-oz cups of regular coffee a day. That's the same amount of caffeine people consume in about six espresso shots or 500mg of pure caffeine, as contained in two cups of specialty coffees like Starbucks, or 14 cups of tea, or 20 soft drinks.

The findings
At the end of the two-month study, the mice that were given a daily dose of caffeine in their drinking water performed far better on tests of cognitive skills than mice continued to drink ordinary water.

In addition, memories of the caffeine-drinking mice were as sharp as those of healthy older mice without dementia, and even their blood levels of beta amyloid protein fell quickly.

"These are some of the most promising Alzheimer's mouse experiments ever done showing that caffeine rapidly reduces beta amyloid protein in the blood, an effect that is mirrored in the brain, and this reduction is linked to cognitive benefit," Huntington Potter, PhD, director of the Florida ADRC and an investigator for the caffeine studies, said. "Our goal is to obtain the funding needed to translate the therapeutic discoveries in mice into well-designed clinical trials."

At the moment it is not clear whether caffeine can have the same effect in human or an amount lower than the 500 mg. daily caffeine intake would be effective. The researchers are now planning to begin a human trial soon, to see if the effects seen in mice, also are evident in people with Alzheimer's.