A Cup a Day to Keep Dementia Away!

Daily Caffeine Protects Your Brain
Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests.

According to the Journal of Neuroinflamation in an article published April 3,2008, results from studies show why caffeine can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 
 
Without being too technical, what the study indicated was that high levels of cholesterol and disruptions of the “blood brain barrier” (BBB) have been implicated as underlying reasons for Alzheimer’s disease.  The BBB is a filter which protects the central nervous system from potentially harmful chemicals carried around in the bloodstream.  This is not news.  The news related to a study of rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet and caffeeine over a 12 week period.  The study showed that chronic ingestion of caffeine protected against disruptions of the barrier. 
 
“Caffeine appears to block several of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-barrier leaky,” said Dr. Jonathan Geiger, who led the study. 
 
According to a news report, a spokesman for the Alzheimer’s Society indicated “This is the best evidence yet that caffeine equivalent to one cup of coffee a day can help protect the brain against cholesterol”.

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