New findings reported in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease add further support to the claim that coffee drinking may actually be good for you. The findings, published by researchers at the University of Kuopio in Finland, show that coffee drinking in midlife may significantly reduce an individuals risk of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in late life.

Participants in the study were members of a large cohort of people studied over the course of nearly 40-years. Participants were studied in 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and in 1998. The 1409 individuals included in the late life follow-up who had also been followed up in 1987 were between 65 and 79 years of age at the time of study. Within this group 13 had dementia and 48 had Alzheimer's Disease.

After adjusting for other factors known or suspected as being associated with increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease including demographic, lifestyle, vascular factors, and depressive symptoms, the investigators found that people who drank 3-5 cups per day were at the lowest risk. Tea drinking was uncommon in the sample and was not associated with decreased risk.

The researchers suggest that the findings might point to a potential for coffee drinking to be used as a preventative measure for reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease in later life. The investigators suggest that the reduced risks of dementia may be related to a lower likelihood of type-2 diabetes observed for coffee drinkers and the increased risk of type-2 diabetes observed among those with dementia. Coffee also contains antioxidants including chlorogenic acid which has been shown to help protect cells from damage.

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