Caffeine intake and risk of Alzheimer’s disease:
A case-control study on caffeine done by Maia et al, tested to see if caffeine intake protects against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In a questionnaire about caffeine intake, researchers calculated the estimated intake depending on the amount of caffeine in different caffeinated products. There were also questions involving tobacco and alcohol consumption. This study reported a significant inverse association between caffeine intake and AD. In other words, an increase in caffeine intake decreased the risk of AD. Hypertension, diabetes, stroke, head trauma, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin E, gastric disorders, heart disease, education and family history of dementia were not statistically significantly associated with AD. Patients with AD had an average daily intake of about 73.9 mg of caffeine during the 20 years prior to diagnosis. Meanwhile, the controls had about 198.7 mg of daily caffeine intake during the same 20 years as their matched pair in the study. These findings suggest that consuming caffeine may have a lower risk Alzheimer’s disease. (11)