French and German Researchers said on Wednesday that they found that consuming caffeine has a positive effect when it comes to preventing Alzheimer's disease.
The study involved giving regular doses of caffeine to mice that were bred to develop tau protein deposits, which clog brain cells in Alzheimer's patients, according to Yahoo! News.
The mice were given a dose of 0.3 grams of caffeine per liter, in their drinking water over 10 months, which equals about two cups of coffee per day for human beings. The mice that received caffeine were compared to a similar group of "tau" mice that did not receive any doses of caffeine (the controls).
"Mice that were given caffeine were less affected in terms of memory and tau buildup but also in terms of inflammation of the brain tissue," said David Blum, of France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
Both Blum and Dr. Christa E. Muler of the University of Bonn led the study, which was published in the journal Neruobiology of Aging, Medical News Today reported.
Past studies have shown that older people can lower their chance of developing Alzheimer's by drinking regular amounts of caffeine. Alzheimer's causes the destruction of brain cells, which results in memory loss, challenges with daily tasks, changes in personality and other harmful effects.
Deposits of tau protein and amyloid protein, which clogs up the space between brain cells, play a large role in the development of the disease, and it is very difficult to investigate the development of these proteins in the brain, Medical News Today reported.
The team found that the tau mice that received caffeine did not develop spatial memory impairments, as opposed to the controls. They also found that the chemistry of the protein in the hippocampus, which is connected to memory, was different in the mice that drank caffeine.
"Improved memory was associated with reduced hippocampal tau phosphorylation and proteolytic fragments," the researchers said.
The results support the team's idea that the intake of caffeine helps mice that develop deposits of tau similar to those in humans, Medical News Today reported. The researchers believe the results could lead to the creation of new drugs to be used for treating Alzheimer's.
