I found this information in an article about the pros and cons of using caffeine. Now I feel free to enjoy my tea. Unfortunately, my husband will drink neither coffee or tea, but maybe it is only helpful for women--is that possible?
"A new research which was conducted in France and Portugal and then published in the "Neurology", the journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) revealed amazing results. Over a span of four years, 4,197 aging (65 and older) dementia-free women were tracked in reference to their caffeine consumption and their cognitive capabilities. The conclusion was that, being a psycho-stimulant, caffeine may help safeguard the thinking processes and memory skills in elderly women who are not yet suffering the effects of dementia as it reduces their cognitive decline.
"This study also noted that the benefits seem to progressively intensify with age. The intake of caffeine by 65 year old women shows a thirty percent reduction in cognitive decline while the intake of caffeine by 80 year old women shows a seventy percent reduction in cognitive decline."
My wife, now in stage 6, has been a coffee drinker all her adult life. At our retirement home she is known as "the coffee lady" because she will drink 4 cups of regular coffee for dinner, and then fall asleep without any trouble.
I come from a coffee drinking family and all family members were very alert even in their 90's. It didn't work for Marsh's wife, though. We still know hardly anything about this disease, do we?
In rereading the article (and another related) it says caffeine helps prevent cognitive decline but not dementia. Now just what does that mean? Also, helps for women but not men.
I don't have time to do a thorough search on this intriguing topic right now, but (a) scientists have finally figured out that there are differences between men and women (!) and that they extend well beyond the obvious sex organs, (b) studies on gender differences in responses to medicines are a hot topic right now, and (c) yes, the French study, which was quite large, did find a difference between men and women when it came to the effects of caffeine intake on cognitive decline. The study was particularly focused on the impact of endogenous sex hormones, and came to the conclusion that high blood serum E2 levels are a risk factor for "dementia and AD" in elderly women.
There is a very recent review paper on the neuroprotective functions of caffeine on cognition and Alzheimer's, and I've fired off an email to see if the author will send me a copy.
I'd like to point out one more thing. They used the word "helps". They found over a large group of women that the women who drank coffee and tea were less likely to have dementia than the ones who didn't. That doesn't mean it "stopped" dementia. It might mean that it slowed it down.
Like a lot of other things that we hear about that can make us very angry (doing puzzles is a great example) this looks like something that MIGHT slow down dementia somewhat, but won't stop it dead. My husband was one of the few LOs in this group that had cognitive therapy during the diagnosis process. I'm convinced that some of the things he learned would have slowed down the progress of the disease if he had learned to do those things earlier. The one thing he is still doing almost certainly has something to do with the fact that he can still sign his name.
Dr Rosso was kind enough to send me a .pdf of her 2008 review on "Caffeine: Neuroprotective Functions in Cognition and Alzheimer's Disease." It is very well-written, clear, and concise, if anyone would like a copy. It discusses the French "Three Cities" study that Lori2 brought up, among a number of others; and also discusses the underlying physiological phenomena which have been elucidated in studies with cells, tissues, and animal models.
There are quite a few mechanisms whereby caffeine (or coffee/tea) can affect brain function, all of which appear to be beneficial. It is a nonselective antagonist of adenosine receptors, have been implicated in a range of neurologic properties, including regulation of sleep, anxiety, memory, and cognitive performance. Long-term consumption of caffeine leads to favorable adaptive changes in the brain, such as changes in the densities of some types of adenosine receptors. Of particular interest with relation to AD, adenosine antagonists appear to have an enhanced neuroprotective role in the presence of beta-amyloid deposition or cholinergic deficits.
The polyphenols found in coffee and tea counteract free-radicals that can cause oxidative damage to neurons and other cells. In addition, caffeine has been demonstrated to increase the transcription factors activating protein (AP)-I and c-fos, which enhance cell proliferation and defend against cell damage. Caffeine also increases the rate of cerebral glucose utilization, which could contribute to enhanced cognitive functioning.
Caffeine also has an effect on acetylcholine and its receptors in the brain. Both long- and short-term administration of caffeine to rats increased the acetylcholine concentration in the prefrontal cortex. Aricept, exelon, and razadyne increase the acetylcholine concentrations in the brain by inhibiting the enzyme that destroys acetylcholine, and it is possible that caffeine does the same thing; alternatively, it may increase the amount of acetylcholine that is released by the nerve cells into the synaptic junction.
A number of observational and experimental human studies have been conducted to determine the role of caffeine in neuroprotection and maintenance of cognitive abilities. Although the results are conflicting, several studies have demonstrated improved cognition after long-term caffeine consumption. The effects on cognition have consistently been greatest among the oldest age groups and in women.
Short-term caffeine consumption has certain beneficial effects, such as increased attention and response times, but does not improve higher-level functions such as memory or information processing.
The most interesting and promising (in terms of AD) effects are associated with long-term consumption of reasonably high levels of caffeine (3 or more cups per day for several years.) Long-term use may result in improved cognitive abilities or may reduce the decline of cognition and memory that are part of the pathologic aging process. Some studies found a lower incidence of AD among long-term coffee drinkers.
Several big questions remain unanswered. For example, is the apparent lower incidence of AD associated with caffeine consumption the result of preventing or delaying the onset of the disease, or is it the result of slowing the progression of the disease? And ... the entire reason I asked for the review ... why have the greatest effects been found among the oldest individuals and among women? Apparently, no one knows. Rosso et al did not make any guesses in the review. The various mechanisms whereby caffeine interacts with and affects the brain do not appear (at least, to me) to be ones that are affected by, e.g., hormones.
My DH used to drink coffee all the time. He'd have coffee in the morning, then with me at 'coffee break time'. Lunch, if we went out, we'd stop at Dunkin Donuts, and he couldn't have dinner without coffee afterwards. he first started drinking coffee while in the Army during WW2. Well, he forgot that he likes coffee. He won't touch it. has anyone else had an experience like that.? It was one of the first things to go.
Chris, yes, my husband used to drink coffee all day long. Now I give him a cup with breakfast, and it's usually still sitting there untouched at lunch.
My DH has not changed likes and dislikes much. However, my Mother did. She ate applesauce, cottage cheese, hot tea forever but the last 6 months she wouldnt touch any of them.
My DH still likes his coffee, but mostly mornings now. He isn't particular about what he eats - he will eat most anything I fix. However, he has to add something to it - no matter what it is, i.e. shredded cheese, mustard, honey, cottage cheese. I sometimes ask him to try it before he adds somethings - he does, then adds it anyway <grin>. He does love his iced tea also and I use the decaf - maybe I should go back to the caffein??? He isn't eating as much anymore, but I think he gets enough.
They say taste is the first sense to go with the onset of AD and could be assoc with an early sign of AD itself. so i would think hot/cold loses its appeal. sweets seem to be a common factor in AD. my DH eats many foods he wouldnt touch before, ie-yogout, brocoli casserole/lots of things that are good for him now with all his meds. this is the good side of AD at this point, he will usually eat everything now i give him:) when before in earlier stages, he would refuse and lost alot of lbs earlier on..Divvi
same here, Divvi! My husband refused to eat chicken for 46 years. Now he has it 2 or 3 times a week in one dish or another and likes it! My daughter and I grin every time he eats chicken. We took a picture the first time and sent it to the other children so they would believe us! <grin>
My husband drank coffee all day long until a few years ago. Now he has two cups in the morning, and if we go out to eat he wants coffee. The funny thing is that in the morning, after I fix his first cup of coffee for him and he drinks it, he'll go into the kitchen and pick up the coffee pot, then put it back down. Or he will take his cup to the coffee pot, pour coffee, then walk off and leave it on the counter because he forgot he poured it!
My DH never drank coffee or tea. but he loved his beer -but never had a beer belly and stayed trim/slim with exercise. he also enjoyed 'old fashions' when dining out which we did most of the time..always gourmet dining, i miss those days! i am not a good cook! divvi
I miss the gourmet dining as well.... I can still take him to Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse and IHOP on occasion...but I miss those really nice restaurants we used to go to...I just can't see spending that much money on eating out any more (and get no conversation from him).
I'll be you are a better cook than you give yourself credit for. You are probably like me and just prefer to eat out and be waited on and not have dish duty afterwards! After working all day, then going home and cooking and cleaning for 6 for over 40 years, I liked eating out 3 or 4 times a week! Now it is once a week with my daughter and grandson with us. It's better than eating at home for all meals. And I know that time is coming.......
I buy takeout and bring it home ALOT! he still loves gourmet foods so when i can i pick it up and bring home to eat. most of the nice restaurants are open for lunch now which is a plus for me! i do get the whim occasionally to do a big meal here at home too..divvi
Get this, my husband prefers fast food over better resturant. Sometimes I wonder if it is because he doesn't have to wait for the food. He specially loves McD sausage gravy and biscuits and their vanilla iced coffee.
I like Cafe Mocha myself - from Starbucks....biscuits and gravy from McD or anywhere are always great!! (I've been on a diet for a week and I'm on this site talking about food!!!) (chocolate, ice cream and nuts in another discussion and biscuits and gravy here....) I must be masochistic! <grin>
Everytime we're out, Claude asks if we are going to stop at McDonald's for a double cheeseburger, fries and a coke. He would eat that seven days a week if he could!!!
redbud73086, I think that is great. He has something to look forward to and also you get out of the house. I would get him what he wants. My husband wants sausage gravy and the coffee 7 days a week so that is what he gets. Mc has coupons about once a month and a couple family members save me there's.
My DH also likes fast food. His favorite is Burger King Whoppers or Whopper Jr's. This used to create conflict between us because I like good restaurant food. It doesn't matter anymore. I can eat burgers if that makes him happy.
Dazed, I'm with you. It's not worth the hassle and there are more important things to argue about. Except, I almost refuse to eat a Mc or Burger King burger but it is just a hop over to a Rax or Wendy's, etc.
There's another idea for preventing AD. The latest Alzheimer and Dementia report mentions a study showing that drinking a glass of apple juice every day will prevent "age-related dementia" and alzheimer's. So now we have to drink both apple juice and coffee. If we took everything someone has said will prevent this disease there wouldn't be time (or room in our stomachs) for anything else.