Coffee May Be A Cure For Alzheimer

Finally some positive news on the benefits of drinking coffee; it helps against something most of us have a fear for: Alzheimer's disease!!! A few cups of coffee a day may stave off Alzheimer's disease and could even help to treat the condition, according to new research.

Scientists in Florida uncovered the evidence during tests on animals, and now hope to follow up their findings with trials on humans. US neuroscientist Dr Gary Arendash, who led the research, said: "The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable 'treatment' for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy.

"That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process." Patients with Alzheimer's disease have sticky clumps of abnormal protein in the brain called beta amyloid plaques.

Caffeine was given to mice which had been genetically engineered to develop dementia symptoms and researchers recorded a 50% reduction in levels of beta amyloid protein in their brains. The creatures also developed better memories and quicker thinking!

The equivalent dose in humans would be 500 milligrams of caffeine a day, or just 5 cups of ordinary cofee or 14 cups of tea. But people with high blood pressure or women who are pregnant should avoid too much caffeine.

Dr Huntington Potter, director of the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre (ADRC) in Tampa, where the studies were conducted, said: "Our goal is to obtain the funding needed to translate the therapeutic discoveries in mice into well-designed clinical trials."