Decaf could improve memory loss

Elizabeth Smythe

09/02/2012 10:51:08

Decaffeinated coffee may have beneficial effects on memory, new research has discovered.

Scientists at the Mount Sinai School in New York have found that decaf could improve memory loss associated with degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and forgetfulness related with old age.

More than that, it appears that decaf coffee could potentially stop such symptoms from developing in the first place, The Telegraph reports, making that early morning espresso coffee virtually medicinal.

The researchers tested the impact of giving a dietary supplement with the same properties as decaf coffee to mice with type 2 diabetes; a disease chosen as it causes memory impairment through lower glucose levels. 

Mice that had received the supplement demonstrated increased glucose levels after five months, when compared with those who were given a placebo.

Dr Giulio Maria Pasinetti, the study leader, said to thecheckup.com that trials on humans could soon follow: “This is the first showing the potential benefits of decaffeinated coffee preparations for both preventing and treating cognitive decline caused by type 2 diabetes, ageing, and/or neurodegenerative disorders.”

He emphasised the importance of developing preventative treatments for such disorders, especially since some symptoms can be “traced back” several decades before the onset of the actual disease.