Coffee and the Risk of Dementia

I’ve written repeatedly on the benefits and health risks of coffee drinking on this blog, so that you’re probably sick of another post on this topic. But a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease must be reported.

The results in question came from the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study. Among 1,400 Finnish middle-aged adults followed for 20 years, those who drank 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day had a 65% decreased risk of developing dementia. Three-quarters of the cases were Alzheimer’s dementia.

The study failed to find an effect of tea drinking on the development of dementia. And there was no distinction made between regular and decaffeinated coffee.

The researchers suggest there are several possible reasons for the beneficial effect of coffee drinking: a corresponding lower risk of type 2 diabetes; chlorogenic acid in coffee is an antioxidant; and caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which is responsible for its brain stimulating effect. However, the main use of this study is to help clear the consciences of people who think they drink too much coffee.