Slashdot Mirror
Coffee Can Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's
Amenacier writes "Recent studies by Finnish and Swedish researchers have shown that drinking moderate amounts of coffee can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people. The reason for this is as yet unknown, although it has been hypothesized that the high levels of antioxidants found in coffee may play a role in preventing dementia and Alzheimer's. Alternatively, some studies have shown that coffee can protect nerves, which may help prevent Alzheimer's. Other studies have shown that coffee may also help to protect against diabetes, another disease which has been shown to have links to Alzheimer's disease. However, researchers warn against drinking too much coffee, as 3 cups or more may cause hallucinations."
Which is great for me. They've been telling me for years that I'm overdoing things. meh Drink a few beers, lower stress levels, drink coffee all day at the keyboard, eat only when I'm hungry. Exercise now and then. Stay away from pharmaceuticals. Normal sorts of stuff. Dreams? Hallucinations? Sleep problems? Not me, and I can sleep anywhere. Dreams are good, hate the recursive ones where you dream you woke up, but it's all good.
I knew if I waited long enough there would be a study that showed what I do is not only not bad for me, but in all likelihood good for me. Shame that one study about semen preventing cervical cancer if taken orally was fake!
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
I would much rather have hallucinations than worsening memory loss. Hell, having to re-learn five times in a row that my mother has died was bad enough...
-- haaz.
Sorry for the analogy, but it illustrates the dynamic well in my mind: Several people are standing on a roof. Walking ten steps north will put some near the center, and others very close to the north edge. Similar for ten steps in other directions. Walking in any direction makes everyone closer to that edge, but for those dangerously close to another edge, the tradeoff is worth it. And if the goal is to be near the center, each person should walk a different direction; advice that "walking north is good for anyone" is faulty.
Now I'll be able to remember all of those awesome hallucinations I've been having!
Forget the hallucination stuff. Look at the spider web studies.
Various studies have been done giving drugs to spiders, and using their webs as evidence of the effects. My family doctor has a poster of these webs in his offices to show patients what these substances can do to you, and I think most people would be shocked at how extremely the spiders were affected by caffeine, which you can see in this photo.
My wife's mother has Alzheimer's, and she lives with us, so I'm acutely aware of what it does to people, and heavy doses of caffeine is definitely the lesser of two evils here. But it will still be nice to have a treatment that doesn't have it's own harsh side effects.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
has it occurred to anyone that it may have nothing to do with chemical interactions at the level they're describing it? there's a fairly well known study with old nuns, where it was shown that active minds are less likely to get alzheimers. could it be that the stimulated brains of coffee drinkers is the real protective effect? if so, perhaps soda-fueled developers will also have lower rates of alzheimers.