Coffee may prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s.
A team of research scientists from the University of South Florida have found that caffeine and an unknown element in coffee are responsible for releasing high levels of the protein GCSF in to the blood stream, which they believe, reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The protein GCSF is greatly diminished in Alzheimer sufferers, and an increase has been linked to an improved memory in mice with the disease.
Scientists had originally believed caffeine to hold the answers to coffee’s positive effect on Alzheimer’s since other studies have shown that caffeine reduces the blood and brain levels of the abnormal protein beta-amyloid, which is widely believed to be a significant factor in the onset of the disease.
However, tests for caffeine alone did not produce the same increase in GCSF’s leading scientists to conclude that a combination of caffeine and an unidentified component within coffee was responsible for producing this effect in the body of the mice.
The research team stated “coffee may be the best source of caffeine to protect against Alzheimer’s Disease because of a component in coffee that synergizes with caffeine to enhance plasma GCSF levels, resulting in multiple therapeutic actions against Alzheimer’s Disease”.
Although the researchers encourage moderate coffee consumption they are cautious to insist their findings do not mean coffee will completely protect regular drinkers from Alzheimer’s.
They also emphasise the experiments only used ‘drip’ coffee, and that they are uncertain if the same effects hold for instant coffee on preventing alzhemeir’s .
Tags: alzheimer, causes of Alzheimer's, coffee dementia, preventing alzheimers