Java’s jolt may ward off Alzheimer’s
| July 6, 2009 | 10:24 AM
More journal entries from Cindy House »
I was never much of a coffee drinker until recently when we started holding roving RMI meetings at local coffee shops. Since then, I have become a fan in particular of the mocha family of beverages, likely because they’re chock-full of sugary, chocolately goodness.
And it appears that my newfound love for mocha may not be the only benefit. Florida researchers report today that caffeine seems to have reversed memory loss in mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
To see those benefits, the mice were given the caffeine equivalent of five cups of coffee a day — 500 mg., which the researchers considered a “moderate” amount.
I do love a good mocha, but my general preference for caffeine is still diet soda. To get 500 mg., though, I would have to drink 11 cans of Diet Coke a day. I can’t imagine that. I’d be awake all night — and we all know that sleep deprivation can do funny things to your memory, too.
Here’s hoping those researchers find out that a couple of cans a day — or just one mocha — are enough to stave off Alzheimer’s.
Read more from the University of South Florida.
alzheimer's disease, caffeine, coffee
