Dementia affects more than 55 million individuals globally. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most widespread kind of dementia, accounting for 50–75 percent of dementia cases, according to experts. Cases of Alzheimer’s disease are seen to rise in an aging society.
Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disease that is not a natural part of aging. It produces complicated brain alterations, which might result in memory loss and cognitive impairment.
A recent Australian study has shown evidence that there is a correlation between the amount of coffee people consume and their rate of memory decline. These findings were published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Previous research revealed that coffee might lower the occurrence of cognitive problems. The researchers of this new study set out to delve more into this topic.
According to Dr. Samantha Gardener, the paper’s primary author, if more study confirms this association, coffee consumption might one day be suggested as a lifestyle element targeted at slowing the emergence of [AD]. She believes that it is a simple thing that anyone can change. It might be especially beneficial for persons at risk of cognitive deterioration but have not yet shown symptoms.
Exploring the Link
The research team is situated at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. The researchers examined data from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (AIBL) longitudinal project, which tracked participants for more than ten years.
The study included 227 seniors aged 60 and above who did not demonstrate cognitive decline at the commencement. The researchers applied a questionnaire to collect information from respondents on the amount and frequency with which they drank coffee.
They then conducted cognitive tests at baseline and 18-month intervals using a variety of psychological markers. These tests assessed six cognitive areas: attention, language, recognition memory, processing speed, executive function, and episodic recall memory, as well as the AIBL Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC).
PACC is a composite score that combines memory, executive function, and cognitive assessments. According to research, it can consistently detect the early indications of cognitive impairment.
A subgroup of 60 subjects had PET brain scans to measure beta-amyloid buildup in the brain. An additional 51 subjects underwent MRI scans to determine brain volume atrophy.
Findings
The data analysis revealed that frequent coffee consumption was favorably linked with the cognitive regions of executive function, attention, and the PACC score. Higher coffee consumption was linked with slower cognitive impairment in these areas throughout the period of this study.
Higher baseline coffee intake was also associated with slower amyloid protein buildup across the 126-month study period.
In this investigation, there did not appear to be a relationship between coffee consumption and brain volume atrophy.
According to the findings, increasing coffee consumption from one to two cups per day might potentially minimize cognitive deterioration by up to 8% after 18 months. Over the same time frame, there might be a 5% drop in the cerebral beta-amyloid buildup.
Dr. Gardener reports that higher coffee consumption was linked with the slower formation of the sticky protein termed beta-amyloid, which clusters together in the brains of patients suffering from this affliction.
“This was really interesting to us to establish a potential mechanism… Aduhelm [aducanumab]… hasn’t shown effects on reducing cognitive decline, which coffee intake has,” said Dr. Gardener.
Conclusion
According to the authors of this research, more long-term observational and intervention studies are needed to validate these findings. If these suggestions are valid, coffee drinkers are at an advantage, and coffee roasters can ensure that their customers reap all the benefits of coffee by using barrier bag packaging.