A recent study shows caffeine may reverse memory loss.
The best part of waking up just got even better: Researchers say caffeine may reverse memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.
In a recent University of South Florida study, mice drank caffeinated water daily. Just a few months later, the mice with dementia scored as well as normal mice on memory tests.
"We may have a therapy [for Alzheimer's] right under our nose," says neuroscientist Gary Arendash, lead author of the study. Caffeine suppressed production of the disease-causing protein that builds up in the brain.
The mice had the equivalent of 500 mg of caffeine (about five cups of coffee or 10 cups of tea). Arendash says the average American's caffeine intake, about the amount in a cup and a half of coffee, won't affect memory. But consumption of more than 500 mg per day can cause insomnia, headaches and anxiety.
The caffeine effect hasn't been tested on humans yet, but Arendash says for now, caffeine is a readily available, inexpensive and relatively risk-free treatment that could help.
--Vi-An Nguyen