Coffee may be somewhat protective against dementia, unless it isn't. It seems like every week a new study comes out that contradicts the previous one. But if you read past the headlines, you will find there is really no contradiction at all. Some coffee seems to be protective; too much coffee apparently has the opposite effect.
As part of the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study of aging, researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia investigated whether drinking coffee affected the rate of cognitive decline of more than 200 Australians for over a decade."We found that participants with no memory impairments and with higher coffee consumption at the start of the study had lower risk of transitioning to mild cognitive impairment—which often precedes Alzheimer's disease—or developing Alzheimer's disease over the course of the study," said lead investigator Dr. Samantha Gardener.
Drinking more coffee gave positive results in relation to planning, self-control, and attention. Coffee intake also seemed to be linked to slowing the accumulation of the amyloid protein in the brain, a key factor in the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Meanwhile, a 2021 study, conducted at the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute reached the exact opposite conclusion - that "too much coffee raises dementia risk". Heavy coffee drinkers also had a 53% higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia compared with light drinkers.
The difference? Being a "heavy" coffee drinker vs a "light" drinker. The heavy drinkers were downing 6 or more cups every day; the light drinkers had 1 or two.
Taken together, the studies all confirm that having a cup or two of coffee every day seems to be protective against dementia - Alzheimer's specifically - while being a heavy coffee drinker makes you more likely to suffer from it down the road.
Facebook has made us all instant experts on everything by feeding us compelling headlines. The lesson for you here is to read past the headline.
I think the main problem is people don't understand what moderation means. If I drank 6 cups of coffee a day they'd have to scrape me off the ceiling. I do think that if you're consuming that much coffee a day you're probably also sitting on your butt on your computer buying into the latest conspiracy BS.
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