Several Cups of Coffee a Day Can Keep Alzheimer's and Dementia Away

Anyone who is a coffee drinker knows that a good cup of java is the perfect pick-me-up, especially in the morning. Nothing beats the smell of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning except for perhaps the first sip. Now researchers have found that drinking several cups of coffee each day can greatly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia.

The study was based on middle age individuals who drink between three and five cups of coffee per day. The study relied on the continuous interviewing of 1,409 individuals in Finland and had taken place for more than two decades. The individuals were first asked about their coffee drinking habits in their 50s and all were tested memory wise and found to be competent. The group was monitored throughout the study and they had a follow-up on their memory functions in 1998 when they were between the ages of 65 and 79. The findings were released this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (source: news.yahoo.com).

The results of the study found that of the 1,409 that had been a part of the study that a total of 61 had developed dementia and of those 61 that 48 of them had Alzheimer's. So the conclusion of the study was that middle aged individuals that drink three to five cups of coffee per day are 60 to 65 percent less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's later in life. The study was not the first of its kind, as past studies have tested the link between coffee and memory functions, but was the first time that dementia and Alzheimer's were specifically targeted and participants had been followed for such a long length of time (source: news.yahoo.com).

Researchers were not sure the link between moderate coffee drinking and the prevention of dementia but did point out that coffee is loaded with anti-oxidants which have been proven to fight the onset of Alzheimer's. Coffee has also been proven to protect against diabetes which as it turns out is linked to Alzheimer's (source: news.yahoo.com).

The research contradicts the resent findings from a British study that found excessive coffee drinking could lead to hallucinations. But the researchers were quick to point out that their study was for moderate coffee drinkers (source: news.yahoo.com).

So the next time you are enjoying a hot cup of Joe you can smile knowing you are helping yourself ward off dementia and Alzheimer's disease. As the old adage goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Now just replace the apple with several cups of coffee and the doctor with dementia and Alzheimer's and what you have is a new slogan to live by.