A recent study suggests that coffee consumption may decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, which was published last November, sheds light on the mysterious disease, for which there is no cure as of now. While coffee does not mitigate or fight Alzheimer’s like some medications do, the study found that people with no memory loss who also drank larger than average amounts of coffee were at less of a risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, which is considered a pre-stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
“With Alzheimer’s disease, there’s currently a lack of any effective disease-modifying treatments. Our research group is specifically looking at modifiable risk factors that could delay the onset of the disease, and even a five-year delay could have massive social and economic benefits,” said lead author Samantha Gardener, who is a research fellow at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.
“Worldwide, a high proportion of adults drink coffee every day, making it one of the most popular beverages consumed,” Gardener added. The popularity and ubiquitousness of coffee could make it a viable method of deferring the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. But she also stressed that further studies are necessary. Gardener and her team are not yet sure what ingredient in coffee itself contributes to the delaying of Alzheimer’s.
“This is, obviously, preliminary data and it needs a lot more research before being recommended, but it’s really positive, and hopefully in the future, it can be incorporated as a modifiable lifestyle factor that can delay Alzheimer’s disease onset,” Gardener said.