Thursday, June 30, 2011

“Mystery Ingredient in Coffee Fights Alzheimer's Disease!”

G’day to you! I have some wonderful news for you today so fill that empty mug in your fist, grab a treat and c’mon a little closer. I just knew there was something extra special about coffee other than the great taste and caffeine buzz.  Well, according to Science Daily, a yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process.

The findings appear in the early online version of an article to be published June 28 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Using mice bred to develop symptoms mimicking Alzheimer's disease, the USF team presents the first evidence that caffeinated coffee offers protection against the memory-robbing disease that is not possible with other caffeine-containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee.

Previous observational studies in humans reported that daily coffee/caffeine intake during mid-life and in older age decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The USF researchers' earlier studies in Alzheimer's mice indicated that caffeine was likely the ingredient in coffee that provides this protection because it decreases brain production of the abnormal protein beta-amyloid, which is thought to cause the disease.

"Caffeinated coffee provides a natural increase in blood GCSF levels," said USF neuroscientist Dr. Chuanhai Cao, lead author of the study. "The exact way that this occurs is not understood. There is a synergistic interaction between caffeine and some mystery component of coffee that provides this beneficial increase in blood GCSF levels."

The researchers caution that, since they used only "drip" coffee in their studies, they do not know whether "instant" caffeinated coffee would provide the same GCSF response.

The boost in GCSF levels is important, because the researchers also reported that long-term treatment with coffee (but not decaffeinated coffee) enhances memory in Alzheimer's mice. Higher blood GCSF levels due to coffee intake
I’m just giving you exerpts here because the whole article is longer than your average roll of 2-ply T. P. But if you’d care to read the whole epistle to the caffenites, go here:

Now I know why that mouse I saw was sitting eating a cheese muffin and sipping a double Mocha Almond Latte! Keep clicking on by for your daily dose of alzheimer’s fighting Arabica!


See ya!

Bob


Comment from Wayne in Quebec re Hendra:

Does that include Batman souvenirs?

Bones



AQIS Response:

“G’Day, sir. Are you takin’ anything out of ‘Stralia?

“Just some Batman souvenirs.”

“And have you been playin’ footy and rollin’ round in a field where there were trees and bats hangin from them, mate?”

“Uh…I’m not sure.”

“What’s that movin’ about in your pocket, there, sir? Mind if we have a look? Ay, Bruce, come ‘ave a look at this. It’s a bloody flyin’ fox in a batman costume. Are you ‘aving us on, then, sir?”

“I just thought it was cute and…”

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