Strong coffee may prevent & reverse Alzheimer's

Here's a reason to pour yourself several extra strong cups of coffee—caffeine may treat or prevent memory loss.

Read more of my stories on Heather's Natural Health.

University of South Florida researchers found mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease actually reversed their memory problems after drinking a lot of caffeine every day for two months.

The study suggests caffeine decreases inflammation in the brain and cuts down on the build up of protein linked to the disease.

You can read the USF study by clicking here.

According to USF:

The study included 55 mice genetically altered to develop memory problems mimicking Alzheimer's disease as they aged. After behavioral tests confirmed the mice were exhibiting signs of memory impairment at age 18 to 19 months - about age 70 in human years - the researchers gave half the mice caffeine in their drinking water. The other half got plain water.

The Alzheimer's mice received the equivalent of five 8-oz. cups of regular coffee a day. That's the same amount of caffeine - 500 milligrams — as contained in two cups of specialty coffees like Starbucks, or 14 cups of tea, or 20 soft drinks.

USF researchers found at the end of the two-month study, the caffeinated mice performed much better on tests measuring their memory and thinking skills.

In fact, their memories were identical to normal aged mice without dementia. The Alzheimer's mice drinking plain water continued to do poorly on the tests.

The studies appeared in the July 5 online edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Doctors warn that caffeine is a drug and can be associated with increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, jitteriness, palpitations and dehydration.

People who have irregular heart beats, hypertension, who are pregnant, sensitive to caffeine or take care of someone with Alzheimer's need to talk to their doctor before drinking a lot of caffeine.

I also talked to Dr. J. E. Williams in Sarasota to get his reaction to this study.

He says the best way to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's is exercise on a daily basis.

He also recommends eating high antioxident foods including: coffee, cocao, berries, pomegranate, and healthy oils from fish.

He says, "What's good for the heart, is good for the head."