Your daily coffee may be doing wonders for your brain

A friend of mine used to say that she loved coffee because it made her feel good for no reason.

Now she has a real reason to feel good about her daily coffee: Alzheimer’s prevention.

Researchers believe that one or more of the many components in coffee interacts with caffeine to help block the development of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain.

Put another way: Coffee is linked with reduced Alzheimer’s risk.

Starbucks, Caribou, Peet’s, here we come!

Ongoing research from the University of South Florida confirms earlier studies showing that daily coffee drinking from middle age through elderly years may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Caffeine appears to be a necessary component because decaf drinkers don’t get the same benefit.

But caffeine doesn’t do it alone. The USF team believes that caffeine works with other compounds to increase levels of a colony stimulating factor known as GCSF — a type of protein that’s typically low in Alzheimer’s patients.

Dr. Chuanhai Cao, one of the study authors, told the Orlando Sentinel that moderate daily intake of caffeinated coffee may be the best option for long-term protection against Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Cao: “Coffee is inexpensive, readily available, easily gets into the brain, appears to directly attack the disease process and has few side effects for most of us.”

Well…except for that one obvious “feeling good” side effect.

Source:
“Coffee may protect against Alzheimer’s disease, study finds” Linda Shrieves, Orlando Sentinel, 6/22/11, orlandosentinel.com