Katharina Buczek
Do you ever feel guilty for buying that extra cup of joe? Odds are, you’re not alone. More than 150 million Americans drink at least one cup of coffee per day.
But, this habit could actually be a helpful prevention tactic. A new study conducted by Edith Cowan University revealed that coffee-drinkers could be at lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
This is not the first study of its kind. Other studies have also suggested that coffee could take a protective role against not just Alzheimer’s disease, but also numerous other conditions– including stroke, heart failure, cancers, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.
Still, this study sought to discern data limitations relating specifically to Alzheimer’s disease.
For over a decade, the study investigated “the relationship between self-reported habitual coffee intake, and cognitive decline assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.”
The study encompassed over two hundred and twenty adults from Australia aged sixty and above. Nearly twenty-seven percent of the participants were also carriers of the Alzheimer’s allele.
Throughout the study, the “comprehensive neuropsychological battery” assessed six main cognitive areas: “episodic recall memory, recognition memory, executive function, language, attention and processing speed.”
The ten-year study showed that habitual coffee intake was associated with slower cognitive decline, especially in the areas of executive function and attention.
Still, the study admits that “exactly which constituents of coffee contribute to the positive outcomes remains to be determined.”
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