Caffeine protects females' memories
Coffee could help to protect memory in women
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Tuesday, 07, Aug 2007 09:41
Older women who drink a couple of cups of coffee or tea a day have stronger thinking skills and memory than those who do not, researchers have found.
The positive effect of the caffeinated drinks came after more than one cup a day was consumed.
Men taking part in the study did not appear to receive the same beneficial effect from the caffeine, which researchers say could be due to the way different sexes metabolise caffeine or how their different bodies react to the stimulant.
Cognitive abilities and caffeine consumption were evaluated in 7,000 people over a period of four years.
Compared to women who drank one cup of tea or coffee a day, those who drank three cups were less likely to show as much decline in memory.
The benefits appeared to increase with age; coffee drinkers were 30 per cent less likely to have memory decline at age 65, which rose to 70 per cent less likely over the age of 80.
Positive effects from caffeine were seen even when other factors such as age, medication, high blood pressure and education were taken into account.
"Caffeine is a psychostimulant which appears to reduce cognitive decline in women," said study author Dr Karen Ritchie, of Inserm, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, in Montpellier, France.
"While we have some ideas as to how this works biologically, we need to have a better understanding of how caffeine affects the brain before we can start promoting caffeine intake as a way to reduce cognitive decline.
"But the results are interesting – caffeine use is already widespread and it has fewer side effects than other treatments for cognitive decline, and it requires a relatively small amount for a beneficial effect."
The study is published in the journal Neurology.