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Ear to the Ground

Coffee Cure for Alzheimer’s?

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Posted on Jul 6, 2009
Original: Flickr / be_khe

Tell this to the next nudnik who gives you a hard time for sucking down a cup of joe: A study of mice suggests that coffee could reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s and prevent the onset of dementia. Old mice that consumed the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day showed improved cognitive function, and some young mice, when properly juiced, managed to avoid the disease altogether.

BBC:

When the mice were tested again after two months, those who were given the caffeine performed much better on tests measuring their memory and thinking skills and performed as well as mice of the same age without dementia.

Those drinking plain water continued to do poorly on the tests.

[...] Earlier research by the same team had shown younger mice, who had also been bred to develop Alzheimer’s but who were given caffeine in their early adulthood, were protected against the onset of memory problems.

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By spheres, July 6, 2009 at 9:11 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Nonsense…..what exactly is this lie doing here? What else are the mice on? Caffeine dehydrates,releases ATP-stored energy the body is storing for other functions, such as heart beats and chronic fatigue syndrome is the result. people with Alzheimer’s disease and people in general need water…..period

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By liecatcher, July 6, 2009 at 7:39 pm Link to this comment

I smell a rodent.

This has got to be the most blatant “stealth” infomercial in quite a while, but not as repugnant as
Merck piggy backing its Gardasil hoax vaccine on Farrah Fawcett’s anal cancer.

A mind is a terrible thing to lose or be laundered.

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By Xntrk, July 6, 2009 at 11:58 am Link to this comment

Having seen my mother lose everything, including her personality, to Alzheimer’s, I do everything possible to avoid getting/having it.

I first read about the coffee link about 4 years ago, and increased my intake to the amount I drank when I was much younger. Whether it works or not, my cognitive levels remain higher than average in the tests my docs give me routinely - The ones all old fogies should be given as they see the doctor for other problems.

The other thing about coffee that I have noticed is that it enhances the effect of common pain meds. Most over the counter pain meds like Exedrin have caffeine in them, btw. I have both arthritis and a chronic problem with myofacia pain syndrome, so any thing that helps with that is a blessing. I take my giant anti-inflammatory along with a big cup of really strong coffee. It helps…

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By Anarcissie, July 6, 2009 at 9:55 am Link to this comment

Drink some more coffee—it will improve your cognitive functions and you’ll figure it out.

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By Rodger Lemonde, July 6, 2009 at 7:36 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Why take chances? Fill me up. At least a pot a day works for me.
My only question is how do you know if a mouse has Alzheimer?

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By Outraged, July 6, 2009 at 2:02 am Link to this comment

Is it me…. or is this article saying we should, shouldn’t and maybe can but maybe shouldn’t drink caffinated beverages?

I got it.

The thing that struck me though, was this comment:

“In addition, the brains of the mice given caffeine showed nearly a 50% reduction in levels of the beta amyloid protein, which forms destructive clumps in the brains of dementia patients.”

What a bizarre thought, I mean….. that forming of clumps in our brains.  Wow.  Do we have CLUMPS in our brains…..?  CLUMPS…. they said, clumps.

I still can’t fathom it…..they said DESTRUCTIVE clumps, no less…..  So do some have “destructive clumps” in their brains anyway, I mean regardless of Alzheimer’s..?  This is what needs be investigated, for sure.  ‘Cause I gotta tell ya’, I certainly have my concerns.

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