Caffeine - Does it Help Alzheimer's?
I noticed that my dad seems to improve after he drinks strong black coffee. Is there any basis for this?
Print
EmailWhile trying to maintain an objective opinion, I haven't yet found any negative information about Bacopa Monnieri and its ability to improve brain function in dementia sufferers. Am I just not looking hard enough, or can others confirm that it has proven benefits?
How does it stack up against the benefits of just drinking coffee, for instance?
There is a small body of research showing modest possible benefits of the herb Bacopa Monnieri as a therapy for dementias such as Alzheimer's.
At the same time, none of the research has been sufficiently compelling to make it to a mature, mainline publication such as:
- The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Neurology
- Cell.
Although there may be something to this supplement, a lot of other supplements have a lot more to go on, such as Omega-3, a whole bunch of anti-oxidants, as well as curcumin from curry.
You might want to browse one of the following libraries on this site that talk about nutrition and supplements. You can get to them from the top of any page, under the LIBRARY option. Here are two good sections I found:
It is no surprise that there is a lot more information on coffee than on this herb. So as long as coffee has well-known upsides and downsides and this herb remains somewhat obscure, IMHO it seems like diet, exercise and better-known supplements like Omega-3 make more sense as the first place to look.
Forum Links
|
|
| Newest Topics |
Hi Perry,
Many people experience a lift after they have a cup of caffienated coffee. I believe what you are interested in is knowing, if there is a relationship between coffee and Alzheimer's.
The short answer is that according to the research, yes there is.
Recent studies show that caffeinated coffee induces an increase in blood levels of a growth factor called GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor). GCSF is a substance greatly decreased in patients with Alzheimer's disease and demonstrated to improve memory in Alzheimer's mice. You can read more about this research and the conclusions of the researchers in the article: GCSF, Induced by Coffee, Offers Dementia Protection.
Other studies have suggested that coffee may have benefits for the brain. In the article "Can Coffee Prevent Alzheimer's?" you can read about other studies on mice that show that caffeine rapidly reduces beta amyloid protein in the blood, an effect that is mirrored in the brain, and this reduction is linked to cognitive benefit.
In other studies, researchers found that middle-aged men and women who drank three to five cups of coffee a day were less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease in old age than those who didn't drink coffee or drank very little.
Dina