Caffeine Boosts Memory! No comments yet

For many years now nutritionists from across the world have been telling us to avoid coffee, because caffeine is an unnecessary stimulant. Well, apparently they might have only been half right!

In a recent study, Florida-based research scientists have suggested that about 500mg of caffeine daily could reverse the memory problems seen in Alzheimer’s.

“The results are particularly exciting in that a reversal of pre-existing memory impairment is more difficult to achieve” said Dr Gary Arendash, University of South Florida, “it may be possible that caffeine could also be a viable ‘treatment’ for established Alzheimer’s disease and not just a protective strategy.”

The use of caffeine showed a nearly 50% reduction in levels of the beta amyloid protein, which forms the destructive clumps in the brains of dementia patients. There was also a suggestion that caffeine suppresses inflammatory changes in the brain which produce an over-abundance of this protein.

Caffeine is a safe drug for most people, with only people with high blood pressure and pregnant women having to limit their intake. 500mg is easily achievable for most people.

Coffee is by far the most common way for people to get caffeine into their systems, but there are other sources. One of the most common alternatives is Guaraná.

Guaraná is a creeping shrub, native to Venezuela and northern Brazil. Guaraná seeds are rich in caffeine containing up to 3 times the amount found in coffee. The seeds are also rich in tannins and the xanthine alkaloids, theophylline and theobromine. Guaraná has been traditionally used as a stimulant and to increase mental alertness, fighting fatigue and increasing stamina and physical endurance. Along with now, it would seem, playing a protective and treating role in mental health.

All-in-all, a much better way to get your caffeine intake up with many other added benefits.

Sources:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8132122.stm
About.com – Alternative Medicine: http://altmedicine.about.com/
Health Notes: http://www.healthnotes.info/uk_db/healthnotes.cfm?ContentID=2103002