- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Drinking This One Thing Can Lower Your Risk Of Alzheimer’s
Photo credit: bigstock.com
If you aren’t already a coffee drinker, this article just might change your mind. Research presented at the 2014 Alzheimer Europe Annual Congress stated that a recent study found that those who drank coffee on a regular basis were much less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is perhaps the most devastating type of dementia, slowly but progressively robbing people of their ability to learn new things. Then patients find it difficult to remember recent things, later, it’s difficult to remember just about anything, while having hallucinations at the same time.
Those older than 65 are at the biggest risk for developing this disease, an age that many baby boomers are fast approaching or have just passed it. More than 10,000 people will turn 65 every single day over the next 17 years, and with no cure for Alzheimer’s, no preventative treatment, as well as no real known cause, this presents scientists with a real dilemma.
That’s why this is such good news. The discoveries in this report can help further the understanding of the role that nutrition plays in protecting or preventing the development of Alzheimer’s. This study found that drinking three to five cups of coffee each day can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 20 percent. With approximately 83 percent of the American population drinking coffee daily, we can only hope that this will reduce the amount of Alzheimer’s cases in this country.
Coffee is loaded with plenty of good things, such as powerful antioxidants. The antioxidants in coffee are the same type that are found in the Mediterranean diet and prevent the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The antioxidants in coffee can also reduce the deterioration of brain cells and reduce inflammation. It can also stop the deterioration of brain cells, especially in the cortex and hippocampus, which are the areas of the brain responsible for our memory.
Continue to Page 2
Photo credit: bigstock
In another study, people of age 65 and older who had high levels of caffeine in their blood showed the signs of Alzheimer’s disease two to four years later than those with lower caffeine levels. This study was described in detail in an article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 124 people with mild cognitive impairment and of age between 65 and 88 took part in the study. Approximately 15 percent of those who have mild memory loss will go on to develop Alzheimer’s. In this study, those who had lower levels of caffeine in the blood developed Alzheimer’s sooner than those who had higher levels of caffeine. Coffee was the main — and sometimes only — source of caffeine among these subjects.
Not a single subject who had caffeine blood levels above 1,200 ng/ml later developed Alzheimer’s. This gives you a great excuse to drink more coffee! If you have a loved one who is experiencing mild memory problems, encourage them to drink more coffee each day. To keep those blood levels in the range of the subjects in this study, aim to drink an average of three eight ounce cups of coffee each morning during or after breakfast.
SEE ALSO: 5 Great Reasons to Avoid America’s Most Popular Coffee Shop
How coffee works to delay or prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease is not fully understood, but one researcher has a theory. Beta-amyloid, a protein found naturally in the human brain, begins to accumulate in those with Alzheimer’s. For some people, the body stops metabolizing this protein as we age, so it stores the extra protein in the brain. Caffeine inhibits the production of this protein, so your body can metabolize all of the available protein.
Coffee has other health benefits. It has been shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, breast cancer, stroke, and diabetes.
So drink up! Head to your favorite coffee shop for seconds, and buy that extra big mug of coffee. Tell anyone who asks that you don’t want any leftovers clogging up your brain.
References:
