Can Coffee Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer's?

A report from Europe's Institute on Scientific Information on Coffee in Coffee & Health found no clear proof of coffee preventing Alzheimer's, according to Being Patient . The report said study outcomes are varied, with some suggesting lifelong consumption of coffee/caffeine is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's, while others cannot demonstrate definite causation. However, the report cited a 2018 review published in Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression implying that more than 75 percent of the research supports the opinion that caffeine has a beneficial effect against cognitive decline and Alzheimer's. Kristianstad University Professor Elisabeth Rothenberg said the scientific consensus is clearer in terms of the effect of diet on neurodegenerative conditions. "Positive associations between Mediterranean dietary patterns and better cognitive scores and a lower risk of Alzheimer's diseases have been shown," she noted. "Although results vary, a majority of studies suggest that closer adherence to a Mediterranean style diet is associated with a lower risk for cognitive decline, probably acting by modifying pathways related to a more general aging process."