Caffeine may have a protective role against Alzheimer’s disease. People who consumed less caffeine had 2.49 times higher odds of having amnestic mild cognitive impairment and worse levels of specific cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14169

From the linked article:

Caffeine might have a protective role against Alzheimer’s disease

A study of individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in France found that participants who consumed less caffeine had 2.49 times higher odds of having amnestic mild cognitive impairment and worse levels of specific cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s. The study was part of the ongoing BALTAZAR cohort and was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Results showed that individuals who consumed lower amounts of caffeine had significantly higher odds of being categorized as amnestic, meaning they experienced memory-related impairments. Specifically, the odds of being diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease were 2.49 times higher for participants with lower caffeine consumption compared to those with higher intake. This suggests a potential protective effect of caffeine on memory, particularly in individuals at risk for or already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

When the researchers looked specifically at participants with mild cognitive impairment, they found that those with lower caffeine intake had 2.72 times higher odds of being classified as amnestic rather than non-amnestic. This finding suggests that caffeine consumption might be particularly relevant for memory-related issues.

In addition to cognitive outcomes, the study also found significant differences in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers between high and low caffeine consumers. Participants who consumed less caffeine tended to have lower levels of Aβ42 and lower Aβ42/Aβ40 and Aβ42/p-tau181 ratios. These lower levels and ratios of Aβ42 are typically associated with increased amyloid plaque formation in the brain, a major hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The results suggest that lower caffeine intake might be linked to greater amyloid burden, which is associated with faster disease progression.

“Our data support an association of lower caffeine consumption with a higher risk of being amnestic as well as with deleterious changes in CSF [cerebrospinal fluid] biomarkers of MCI [mild cognitive impairment] and AD [Alzheimer’s disease] patients,” the study authors concluded.

And on the other side: Drinking too much coffee can reduce brain size and cause dementia. https://www.reddit.com/r/psychology/s/gzxiHIamFX

How about tea? I’ve stopped drinking coffee recently and started with green tea instead, on average I make 6 cups of green tea per day since my my holds 2 cups and I drink 3 mugs per day with 1 tea bag per mug

coffee increases cerebral blood flow so not super surprised

there is a notable population variation wrt the effects of caffeine depending on whether an individual has a rapid, normal, or deficient metabolism via the CYP 1A2 enzyme. Those with deficient metabolism are at a higher risk of iirc blood pressure issues from caffeine; it’d be interesting to see if there are differences regarding neuroprotective benefits

Does it matter if the caffeine comes from coffee or tea?