No, this little cup of coffee extra is not going to improve your cognitive performance as you age. Quite the contrary. A study on aging by researchers from the University Bari Aldo Moro (Italy) demonstrated that there is a link between coffee drinking habits and the risk of mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged people. This decline is the stage that precedes the development of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
This study found that the risk of mild cognitive impairment doubles when you increase your coffee consumption with age. There is currently no effective treatment for the neurodegenerative disease. The best weapon for it escape remains the identification and management of risk factors. One in three cases could thus be avoided.
The impact of coffee consumption
To reach this conclusion, the researchers followed 1,445 people aged 65 to 84 for 3.5 years. The subjects were all cognitively healthy at the start of the study. Result: those who increased their coffee consumption (more than one cup per day) had a twice higher risk of mild cognitive impairment than those who reduced by at least one cup. Those who kept the same habits had a 1.5 times higher risk than those who reduced. Finally, those who regularly consumed a moderate amount (either one or two cups a day) had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment than those who never or rarely consumed it.
The researchers put forward certain mechanisms to explain the neuroprotective effects of coffee consumption. Coffee helps activate A2A adenosine receptors (A2ARs) which can mitigate protein damage Beta-amyloid, harmful to the brain and present in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. But at a certain age, a balance of A2Ars levels is needed for a neuroprotective effect, and a higher dose of caffeine can impair memory.
Conclusion of this study: as you age, it is better to consume coffee in moderation and not to increase your usual consumption.
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