A daily dose of caffeine may help older women without dementia protect their memory, according to a study published in a recent issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Women 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day - or the equivalent in tea - did better on memory tests than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea daily, the study found.
It wakes you up in the morning, and it might help you retain your memory as you age - but only if you're a woman.
A daily dose of caffeine may help older women without dementia protect their memory, according to a study published in today's issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Women 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day - or the equivalent in tea - did better on memory tests than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea daily, the study found.
The benefits of caffeine appear to increase with age. At age 65, caffeine consumers were 30 per cent less likely to show a decline in memory than other women. For women older than 80, the results were even more dramatic: Those who drank more than three cups of coffee (or equivalent) daily were 70 per cent less likely to have a failing memory.
The protective effect of caffeine was observed in tests involving verbal memory. However, caffeine consumption was not found to prevent dementia.
Scientists studied 7,000 dementia-free people - 4,197 women and 2,820 men - whose cognitive abilities and caffeine intake were tracked over four years.
The findings held up even after other factors that affect cognitive function were taken into account - such as education, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and depression - according to the study.
The researchers theorize that caffeine may block adenosine receptors, which in turn may prevent damage caused by beta-amyloid, a toxic substance that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Further study is needed before scientists can advise women to ramp up their caffeine intake, cautioned the study's lead author, Karen Ritchie of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research. "Please don't everybody rush out and start drinking coffee."
Caffeine can increase blood pressure, she explained, which in itself can affect cognitive function.