I love my morning coffee. With breakfast – never by itself. Too many years as a frontline journalist – all too often making coffee a ‘meal’ – turned me off on excess. But I also love it when science vindicates my special soft spot for Java…
It’s not exactly Senior’s Health and Longevity week here at the FFB. But there is an unusual flood of ‘anti-aging’ stories coming down the food newswire…
Right in the ‘sweet spot’
I’m right in the ‘sweet spot’ for this latest coffee-benefits discovery! Which is to say, I drink exactly the right amount of Java to qualify for maximum benefits. More on that anon…
I should preface this post by reminding readers that, in the past year or so, science has made a whole series of new discoveries that either vindicate the brew of its previous ‘unhealthy’ reputation, and/or endow it with new beneficial health effects.
What they did
A large US study followed 131,821 nurses and healthcare professionals for as long as 43 years, beginning when participants were in their early 40s.
Over the course of the study, 11,033 participants, about 8 percent, developed dementia.
What they found
Researchers found that subjects who regularly consumed moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee or tea were less likely to develop the condition.
The strongest benefit appeared in adults age 75 and younger. In that group, consuming about 250 mg – 300 mg of caffeine per day, equal to roughly two to three cups of coffee, was linked to a 35 percent lower dementia risk. Drinking more caffeine than that did not provide additional protection.
Among the key findings:
Women drank about twice as much coffee as their male counterparts in the survey: 4 – 4.5 cups a day versus 2 to 2.5.
Participants who consumed more caffeinated coffee were often younger, but they also tended to drink more alcohol, smoke more, and consume more calories, all of which are associated with a higher risk of dementia.
Both men and women who drank more decaf than caffeinated Java experienced faster memory decline.
Drinking more than 2 – 3 cups of caffeinated coffee a day did not provide additional protection.
The takeaway
‘Moderation may be the key’, the researchers say.
Not only did consuming more than the ‘threshold’ amount of 2 – 3 cups a day fail to produce any further increase in benefits, it was getting into the dosage range where it could cause blood pressure elevation and heart rhythm problems, and trigger sleep issues.
My take
The message is clear… And it meshes beautifully with other recent findings on the benefits of coffee in connection with chronic inflammation and heart disease.
I’ve been drinking no more than three cups of coffee for many years – since I retired from frontline journalism. My usual routine is 2 regular-sized cups at breakfast. And I can confirm – on a subjective level – that my cognitive performance is as sharp now as it was 20 years ago. Maybe sharper. However Sister Erin insists that’s largely because I work on this blog every day, exercising my little grey cells, particularly in the language and critical thinking arenas…
Nevertheless… I’ve long been an advocate of moderate coffee consumption as a sort of general elixir…
~ Maggie J.