Popping my GO! Smell the coffee posting cherry with some recent science findings on the potential protective properties of caffeine against developing Alzheimer’s. Here’s my contributors badge so you know who I am:
Caffeine has been previously associated with improved reactions & memory & IQ tests, & in males has been suggested to confer neuro-protective properties against Parkinson’s. It also has pretty freaky effects on spiders’ web construction (disclaimer: some arcahnids may have been temporarily affected in collection of the following pictures)
In a recent paper published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ: Arendash GW, Mori T, Cao C, et al. Caffeine reverses cognitive impairment and decreases brain amyloid-beta levels in aged Alzheimer’s disease mice. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Published online 6 July 2009) there is evidence that caffeine may also be neuro-protective against Alzheimer’s disease.
However, it is still very early days & there a number of caveats that scientists need to address. The report & potential pit-falls of the data are summarised well here. Key amongst the caveats are that this study has been only shown in an animal model (mice) so it is still to be determined whether it will follow in humans.
Quoting the summary…….
What do we know already?
Long-term studies have shown that people who regularly drink two to three cups of coffee daily seem less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. But with these types of studies, it’s hard to single out one particular cause. For example, older people who regularly attend coffee mornings probably drink more coffee, but they are also probably less socially isolated, and get out of the house more. Any of these things could affect how well your memory works in later life.
That’s one reason why researchers do animal studies. Using mice, it’s much easier to control anything that might affect the results of research, including genes and environment.
Studies of caffeine in mice have shown promise before. Mice that were genetically bred to get a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease show fewer signs of memory loss and confusion if they’re given caffeinated water throughout their lives.
In this latest study, mice that had been bred with the dementia gene, that had grown older and were showing signs of memory loss and confusion, were given a four to five week course of caffeinated water, to see if it helped improve their memories. “
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This summary was a collaborative effort between the publishing scientific journal (BMJ) & the Guardian newspaper (UK) & is a good example of accurate & interesting science journalism, without the need to sensationalise claims. In a later post(s) I’ll probably address this issue: good, objective science journalism versus the more sensationalistic reporting seen in popular media; health (& the science behind it) is an highly emotive subject, obviously affecting us all, so can be easily misconstrued & badly reported just to make an exciting headline & story.
It’s not (yet?) suggested that we all switch to caffeine-twitching fiends, but the varied positive side-effects of caffeine consumption seem to be apparent & increasing.
So tell me: what’s your poison: coffee, tea or a stronger concoction to get you buzzing in the mornings/nights?
2 or 3 cups of coffee definitely helps me to begin the day. Think I’m moreso addicted to the smell though.
I drink almost 4 cups during the day. Helps me to stay awake, and also makes me feel, look and think as a normal person.
Cheers from Buenos Aires city.
,-·*’°§? PörTeña ?§°’*·-,
.-= Porteña´s last blog ..Video de la semana: Love Handel | V.86 =-.
A lot of mates can’t function till they’ve had their daily dose of caffeine, usually a litre of heavy tar with breakfast.
Amazing it doesn’t have harmful side-effects (in truth there are a few known contra-indications for, understandably, people with history of cardiac problems), but scientific studies all point to positive effects.
Jimmy – cheers for adding the cheese-fest Nottingham Forest clip; but guess that’s Forest’s glorious history. Particularly liked the jerry-curled Des Walker about half way through.
Welcome to GO! Smell the coffee O’DB with this v relevant article to open your account with.
Thanks for getting aomngst it here after a pretty negative start.
Couldn’t resist the forest clip (click on O’DB’s badge for more, folks)
The post in question – the spiders web shots I’ve seen but with the effects of spiders having been given coacine, canabis etc and the different patterns.
It amazes me how I can drink endless cups o tea with seemingly no effect but very little coffee and it sends me through the roof….
More coffee anyone?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3FPPenjCBk
Clip suggests there maybe more contra-indications to coffee consumption.
Couldn’t resist the link and the chair hitting…
O’DB,
Welcome to GSTC and you have started with a great post. More and more evidence is uncovering a moderate amount of coffee/caffine consumption is good for us. I know that this study is in the very early stages, but good to know.
In answering your question, mine is coffee. Drinking it since 15, but now it is only about half a pot. At noon, water only.
Hope you have a good time here!!
.-= Clinically Clueless´s last blog ..My 42 Day Adventure!!! =-.
I thought this link might be interesting. It is NASA’s findings with more picture of web…ewww!
.-= Clinically Clueless´s last blog ..My 42 Day Adventure!!! =-.
Where’s the link?
Presume it’s to other spider web constructions under different drug conditions (cocaine, amphetamine) that Jimmy mentioned.
Duh…does having been in the hospital for a total of 76 days with the last one being 42 get me out of the “lost my mind” hole? Or, my bronchitis is getting worse…just grasping at straws…worth a try. Here is the link and you are correct in what it is:
http://www.caffeineweb.com/?p=15
.-= Clinically Clueless´s last blog ..My 42 Day Adventure!!! =-.
Hi O’DB,
Nice post, I would however politely request that you step away from intelligent posts as I am going to start looking a bit doiff.
I stopped anything caffeine related a couple of months ago. I had a looong meeting in Costa coffee and came out absolutely wired (which ordinarily isn’t a problem) but decided that it was something that I didn’t need.
I now only drink roibosh which is way healthier for you and I do actually feel much better.
How do you givbis, speed, cocaine or opiates? I mean its hardly like thry have prominent veins to mainline, they aren’t renouned for having big noses and how small would the bank note need to be?
I’m concerned eith this, pretty soon I’m sure I’ll be summoned to the bathroom by the wife only to be confronted by a marauding gang of arachnid’s wearing hoodies, touting flick knives maybe one with a pit bull aphid on a lead and another near the tap selling the big issue and all because careless scientists gave them crack for a laugh.
This needs to be stopped now before it becomes endemic in the spider community as a whole. It’s bad enough most flies seem to have been given crystal meth.
httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=qsPb8e7USqI
An inspiration to everyone who is affected by Alzheimer’s Disease.
Carers and patients need to be aware of anything that can improve their quality of life.
Certainly hopeful & inspirational to AD sufferers & their carers.
But, as the summary by The Guardian newspaper states, it is very early days in this particular aspect of caffeine pharmacology, has only been tested in mice at this stage, so there are caveats that further research will need to address.
.-= O’DB in the Forest´s last blog ..Lib and Kathleen are now friends =-.