Daily Caffeine Protects Your Brain

Chroniton writes "The BBC has a story that many Slashdot geeks will be happy to hear: the caffeine from a cup of coffee a day can help prevent Dementia, by blocking the damage of cholesterol. (At least in rabbits) This is in addition to the already-known protection against Alzheimer's Disease. More research is needed to test the effect on humans."

Comments

Re:Forgot the difference

[SimonGhent]

Alzheimer's is a specific disease.

Dementia is just a general term for (usually) old-age brain rot.

for the scientifically minded

[puck01]

Here's a link to the actual article:

http://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/5/1/12

I think its safe to say I wouldn't read much into this yet. How many times has medicine been burned by animal studies and other type of non-randomized lower quality studies in the past, only to have well done follow-up studies disprove the originals.

Re:god damn it

[catwh0re]

I for one will be a willing test subject for a daily caffeine dose. Jokes aside even laying in the sun will convert cholesterol into vitamin D.

the thyroid will convert it into hormones, and most of your body-generated cholesterol gets converted into bile.

Re:Caffeine or coffee?

[Nibbler999]

The study was with caffeine supplements, not coffee.

Re:god damn it

[raddan]

It is true that most cholesterol is produced in the body, but that does not mean that dietary cholesterol is not important. First of all, the typical American diet is heavily weighted in favor of saturated fats. Saturated fats stimulate the body to release more cholesterol into the blood, of the LDL ("bad") variety. So while eating a food high in cholesterol may not contribute directly to your cholesterol level, typically those high cholesterol containing foods also contain large amounts of saturated fats, and those saturated fats will contribute to your cholesterol level. Steak is definitely a rich source of saturated fat, so you should moderate your intake.

Which brings up another point: some people are more susceptible to the effects of high blood cholesterol than others. Unless you know for sure which group you're in (and who really does?), don't you think you should use a little discretion in choosing your diet? Furthermore, by getting your daily fat intake from vegetable sources, you're doing yourself additional favors, because you are probably also increasing your intake of dietary fiber, bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants (which also has an LDL-lowering effect).

You're right about the exercise bit, though. If people spent half as much energy worrying about their exercise regimen as they do fretting about whether they should eat carbs or not, people in general would be a lot healthier. Trust me, once you reach a certain level of daily exertion, your body will burn just about anything efficiently.

Re:I don't think I buy it

[spikedvodka]

Let me tell you, I love my aeropress - easy, fast, and makes the best damn coffee I've ever had.

it uses more grounds than drip, but day-amn it's worth it

Re:god damn it

[raddan]

Your logic is flawed. Eating saturated fats may produce LDL and HDL in a fixed ratio, but that ratio is still not good for you. Trans fats are even worse, as you point out. But the former type, in general, should still be moderated. Your own source says it here, simply:

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, increase the risk for certain diseases while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats.

Re:exercise

[tixxit]

Marathon running can definitely mess up your knees, but there is a big difference between doing 30+km runs, and 5km runs. Pretty much any exercise in that amount of excess is going to be bad for you. We just weren't made for it. Going for a 30min jog a few times a week is just fine. Just stick to soft surfaces, and keep a comfortable pace.