Caffeine may protect you from Alzheimer's
We all love coffee despite the warnings about the harmful effects of caffeine, but does it have any health benefits?
The results of a new study published in the scientific journal (Scientific Reports) revealed that caffeine can reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers behind the study from Indiana University found that caffeine and 23 other ingredients boost the production of a specific enzyme in the body called nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase 2 that prevents the development of dementia.
Until now, researchers do not know the exact causes of Alzheimer's disease, although they know that it is a health condition that arises as a result of the death of brain cells. The formation of tangles in the brain plays an important role in the death of these cells.
Therefore, the researchers conducted an experiment targeting more than 1,280 compounds to know their effect on the production of the aforementioned enzyme, and they found that 24 compounds affected the production of this enzyme, and caffeine was one of them.
A previous study had indicated that caffeine enhances memory in mice, and the current study also found the same thing and noted that mice that ate caffeine increased the required enzyme level, and accordingly reduced the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia.
The researchers reported that the effectiveness of the compounds that contributed to the increase in the production of this enzyme differed in their effectiveness, and indicated that caffeine had the greatest effect in that.
The researchers stressed that the detection of these compounds is critical, and they can control the development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, which will help them in the future to find a suitable drug for these diseases.