Research has been carried out on the effects caffeine has on Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have uncovered strong evidence that caffeine could help to stave off the disease and that it could help treat it too. They are hoping, in the near future, to follow up the initial results from animal experiments to human trials.

Dr Gary Arendash, the head researcher has said, “The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer’s disease, and not simply a protective strategy. That’s important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people. It easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process.”

One of the key aspects of Alzheimer’s disease is sticky clumps of abnormal protein which are in the brain; these are called beta amyloid plaques. Mice that have the rodent equivalent to the disease have shown a 50 per cent reduced level of these proteins in the brain, this was shown after the researchers had put caffeine in their drinking water. This was shown in the behaviour in the mice as they developed better memories and quicker thinking processes.

Dr Arendash’s research team has been studying 55 genetically engineered mice that have been developed with dementia symptoms. Humans who receive the equivalent dose for their bodyweight would need to consume 500 milligrams of caffeine a day, or five eight-ounce cups of coffee. This amount of caffeine can also be obtained by drinking two strong cups of coffee, 14 cups of tea or even 20 cola drinks.

After two months of studies the mice that have been drinking the caffeinated water performed much better on the memory and thinking tests than mice that had only been drinking water. Their memories were just as sharp as those of healthy older mice without dementia. The researchers found that mice that had been drinking the water with caffeine had reduced levels of the protein in their blood, but more importantly the same effect had been shown in their brains.

The director of Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Dr Huntington Potter has said, “These are some of the most promising Alzheimer’s mouse experiments ever done, showing 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.”
The same investigators have also proven that caffeine reduces the biological processes needed to produce the beta amyloid.

The chief executive for the Alzheimer’s Society, Neil Hunt said, “ Previous research into caffeine and dementia has suggested that it could delay Alzheimer’s disease and even protect against vascular dementia. This research in mice suggests coffee may actually reverse some element of memory impairment. However, more research is needed to determine whether coffee has the same impact in people. It is too soon to say if coffee is anything more than a pleasant pick-me-up.”