A cup of joe a day may keep Alzheimer's at bay

Tuesday, October 03, 2006
BY ANGELA STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff

If you are of those people who can't make it through the day without a few cups of coffee or a favorite cola, word comes that caffeine may have a benefit beyond helping to keep you alert.

All that caffeine actually may protect you against Alzheimer's disease.

Long-term intake of caffeine -- the chemical stimulant common to coffee and many teas and soft drinks -- may help delay or reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer's, scientists now say. They found that mice genetically predisposed to the degenerative brain disease were protected against memory impairment if they consumed 500 mg of caffeine daily, the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Fla., will appear in the next issue of the journal, Neuroscience.

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