UM Researchers: Caffeine May Help You Avoid Alzheimer's

We will savor any good news linked to our tiny little indulgences. So thank you, University of Miami and University of South Florida researchers, for confirming that there is a link between in taking moderately high levels of caffeine on a daily basis and the avoidance of Alzheimer's disease.

According to a new study to be published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, drinking around three cups of coffee every day may help older people avoid the onset of Alzheimer's. Researchers at UM and USF carried out a study of 124 people between the ages 65 and 88 who lived in both Tampa and Miami.

"These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee -- about three cups a day -- will not convert to Alzheimer's disease -- or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer's," Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the USF College of Pharmacy and the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, said in a release. "The results from this study, along with our earlier studies in Alzheimer's mice, are very consistent in indicating that moderate daily caffeine/coffee intake throughout adulthood should appreciably protect against Alzheimer's disease later in life."

Researcher, however, believe that only coffee seems to do the trick. So drinking loads of soda or energy drinks won't provide the same effect.

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