Caffeine Consumption May Help Stave Off Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease

The consumption of moderate daily amounts of caffeine may help individuals prevent the onset of several cognitive decline disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent comprehensive review of previous studies.

For the report, editors of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease brought together a collection of studies conducted by a group of experts in the fields of brain pathology and neurophysiological function.

Guest editors Alexandre de Mendonça and Rodrigo Cunha recognized several new studies that identified a direct link between caffeine consumption a lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease. These findings were paralleled by numerous animal trials that confirmed the inverse connection between caffeine intake and neurodegeneration.

"Later a few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease," said Mendonça and Cunha.

"Again, this was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer’s disease," they added.

The editors also noted that caffeine consumption may help improve the daily lives of Alzheimer’s disease patients by moderately augmenting their memory performance and acting as a mood stabilizer.