Summary: According to a new study, higher caffeine intake in women is associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment.
Source: Gerontological Society of America.
Higher caffeine intake in women is associated with reduced odds of developing dementia or cognitive impairment, according to the results of a new study published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.
Among a group of older women, self-reported caffeine consumption of more than 261 mg per day was associated with a 36 percent reduction in the risk of incident dementia over 10 years of follow-up. This level is equivalent to two to three 8-oz cups of coffee per day, five to six 8-oz cups of black tea, or seven to eight 12-ounce cans of cola.
“The mounting evidence of caffeine consumption as a potentially protective factor against cognitive impairment is exciting given that caffeine is also an easily modifiable dietary factor with very few contraindications,” said Ira Driscoll, PhD, the study’s lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “What is unique about this study is that we had an unprecedented opportunity to examine the relationships between caffeine intake and dementia incidence in a large and well-defined, prospectively-studied cohort of women.”
The findings come from participants in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study, which is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Driscoll and her research colleagues used data from 6,467 community-dwelling, postmenopausal women aged 65 and older who reported some level of caffeine consumption. Intake was estimated from questions about coffee, tea, and cola beverage intake, including frequency and serving size.
In 10 years or less of follow-up with annual assessments of cognitive function, 388 of these women received a diagnosis of probable dementia or some form of global cognitive impairment. Those who consumed above the median amount of caffeine for this group (with an average intake of 261 mg per day) were diagnosed at a lower rate than those who fell below the median (with an average intake of 64 mg per day). The researchers adjusted for risk factors such as hormone therapy, age, race, education, body mass index, sleep quality, depression, hypertension, prior cardiovascular disease, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
“While we can’t make a direct link between higher caffeine consumption and lower incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia, with further study, we can better quantify its relationship with cognitive health outcomes,” Driscoll said. “Research on this topic will be beneficial not only from a preventative stand point but also to better understand the underlying mechanisms and their involvement in dementia and cognitive impairment.”
Source: Todd Kluss – Gerontological Society of America
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Full open access research for “Relationships Between Caffeine Intake and Risk for Probable Dementia or Global Cognitive Impairment: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study” by Ira Driscoll, Sally A. Shumaker, Beverly M. Snively, Karen L. Margolis, JoAnn E. Manson, Mara Z. Vitolins, Rebecca C. Rossom, and Mark A. Espeland in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Published online September 27 2016 doi:10.1093/gerona/glw078
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]Gerontological Society of America. “Caffeine Could Help Ward Off Dementia In Women.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 4 October 2016.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/caffeine-dementia-women-5209/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]Gerontological Society of America. (2016, October 4). Caffeine Could Help Ward Off Dementia In Women. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved October 4, 2016 from https://neurosciencenews.com/caffeine-dementia-women-5209/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]Gerontological Society of America. “Caffeine Could Help Ward Off Dementia In Women.” https://neurosciencenews.com/caffeine-dementia-women-5209/ (accessed October 4, 2016).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
Abstract
Relationships Between Caffeine Intake and Risk for Probable Dementia or Global Cognitive Impairment: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study
Background: Nonhuman studies suggest a protective effect of caffeine on cognition. Although human literature remains less consistent, reviews suggest a possible favorable relationship between caffeine consumption and cognitive impairment or dementia. We investigated the relationship between caffeine intake and incidence of cognitive impairment or probable dementia in women aged 65 and older from the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study.
Methods: All women with self-reported caffeine consumption at enrollment were included (N = 6,467). In 10 years or less of follow-up with annual assessments of cognitive function, 388 of these women received a diagnosis of probable dementia based on a 4-phase protocol that included central adjudication. We used proportional hazards regression to assess differences in the distributions of times until incidence of probable dementia or composite cognitive impairment among women grouped by baseline level of caffeine intake, adjusting for risk factors (hormone therapy, age, race, education, body mass index, sleep quality, depression, hypertension, prior cardiovascular disease, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol consumption).
Results: Women consuming above median levels (mean intake = 261mg) of caffeine intake for this group were less likely to develop incident dementia (hazard ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [0.56, 0.99], p = .04) or any cognitive impairment (hazard ratio = 0.74, confidence interval [0.60, 0.91], p = .005) compared to those consuming below median amounts (mean intake = 64mg) of caffeine for this group.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest lower odds of probable dementia or cognitive impairment in older women whose caffeine consumption was above median for this group and are consistent with the existing literature showing an inverse association between caffeine intake and age-related cognitive impairment.
“Relationships Between Caffeine Intake and Risk for Probable Dementia or Global Cognitive Impairment: The Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study” by Ira Driscoll, Sally A. Shumaker, Beverly M. Snively, Karen L. Margolis, JoAnn E. Manson, Mara Z. Vitolins, Rebecca C. Rossom, and Mark A. Espeland in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Published online September 27 2016 doi:10.1093/gerona/glw078
