Coffee Could Help Lower The Risk of Dementia

Are you having your second cup of coffee? Could not resist its aroma and the urge for more? Don’t worry, it’s okay because coffee will not give you heart disease or hypertension;  it even may do your mind some good. A new study suggests the possible connection between coffee consumption and lower risk of dementia during old age.

A group of Swedish and Danish researchers led by Dr. Miia Kivipelto, associate professor of neurology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, conducted a study that looked into how coffee consumption could affect the mental health of men and women later in their lives. The study, which involved 1,049 participant and spanned 21 years, showed that people who drink two or more cups of coffee everyday are less likely to develop dementia later in life. But Dr. Kivipelto is not yet saying that coffee consumption is a preventative health measure. “This is an observational study,” she said. “We have no evidence that for people who are not drinking coffee, taking up drinking will have a protective effect.”

Several possible reasons why coffee might reduce the risk of dementia later in life were sighted by Dr. Kivipelto and her team: coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (which is said to be a factor that could contribute to greater risk of dementia); the antioxidant effect of coffee helps reduce vascular risk factors for dementia. Earlier studies also showed that coffee could possibly reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

In recent years, many studies about the effects of coffee on the human body have been published that suggest that the good effects of coffee on the body could well outweigh the bad effects. But health experts are not that open yet in supporting the idea that consumption of coffee could be a good health practice. In the meantime, just enjoy that second cup of coffee, it could lift you up and help you get through your busy day.