Drinking Coffee May Reduce the Incidence of Skin Cancer

   Caffeine in Coffee Lessens

     the Risk of  Skin Cancer

Evelyn  E. Smith

M. S. in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012)

Research Links Coffee with Reduced Skin Cancer Rates

Researchers theorize that the more coffee an individual drinks, the lower his or her risk of basal cell carcinoma after controlling for other risks factors like sun exposure and skin pigment. Similarly, the caffeine in coffee acts as a barrier against UVB (short wave) rays just as lots of coffee drinking reduces or delays the onset of Alzheimer's Disease.  However, the optimal dosage is three or more cups of regular coffee daily, for drinking only a cup daily produced only a minimal therapeutic effect.   But that doesn't mean that sun-worshiping coffee-lovers can use tanning booths without any guilt or go out in the sun without sunscreen. Moreover, drinking four or more cups daily only provides a minimal amount of protection in older adults when compared with their counterparts who don't drink any coffee.

Bottom Line:  Drinking coffee isn't a cure all for preventing skin cancer, but it does provide more protection than abstaining from drinking any coffee. Furthermore, scientific research studies should always be studied in their historical context.

Abel, E. L., Hendrix, S. O, & McNeeley, S. G. (2007 October). Daily coffee consumption and prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in Caucasian women. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 446-52. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923816

Researchers from the Department of Obstretrics and Gynecology at Wayne State University after conducting a cross-sectional analysis of Caucasian women enrolled in a Women's Health Initiative Observational Study found that when compared with those white women who abstained from drinking coffee, those who self-reported that they drank coffee daily showed a 10.8 lower incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer. Moreover, drinking six or more cups of coffee daily reduced the chances of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer 30 percent after adjusted by demographic and life-style variables.  

Conney, A. H., Lu, Y. P., & Lou, Y. R., et al. (2013, June 17). Mechanisms of Caffeine-Induced Inhibition of UVB Carcinogenesis. Frontiers in Oncology, 3: 144. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00144. ECollection 2013. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23785666

The caffeine in coffee inhibits ATR and UVB-induced carcinogenesis, according to studies conducted on UVB-induced skin cancer in mice and epidemiological studies that show that coffee drinking inhibits non-melanoma skin cancer in humans. Apparently, caffeine produces a sunscreen that inhibits sunburn lesions in the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin, in mice as well as the UVB-induced formation of thymine dimers, or chemically-bonded, adjacent thymine bases in DNA.  [When cancerous cells start to repair themselves, thymine dimers produce malignant cell mutations]. In addition, caffeine raises the rate of cell death, or apoptosis, in tumors, and enhances UVB-induced cell apoptosis, thereby increasing the removal of damaged precancerous cells.

Transgenic mice irradiated chronically with UVB had 69 percent fewer tumors at the end of the study when administered caffeine that inhibited ATR when compared with irradiated controls with normal ATR function.

Ferrucci, L. M. Cartmel, B., & Molinaro, A. M., et al. (2014, July 23). Tea, coffee, and caffeine and early-onset basal cell carcinoma in a case-control study. European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 4, 296-302. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000037. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24841641

A Yale University study has found that “combined regular consumption of caffeinated coffee and hot tea is inversely associated with the early onset of basal cell carcinoma.” In other words, those study participants who drank the most caffeinated coffee and hot tea reduced their risk of developing basal cell carcinoma 43 percent when compared with individuals who don't drink coffee and tea. After evaluating data from 767 non-Hispanic whites under age 30, this case-control study randomly samples individuals in Yale's dermato-pathology database for benign skin diagnoses and frequency matched to cases for age, sex, and biopsy data whereupon study participants completed an in person interview assessing their intake of coffee and hot tea. Researchers theorize that the caffeine in the coffee and hot tea may produce this protective effect.

Fortes, C., Mastroeni, S., & Boffetta, P., et al. (2013, October 24). The protective effect of coffee consumption on cutaneous melanoma risk and the role of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms. Cancer, Causes & Control: CCC. 10, 1779-87. doi: 10.1007/s10552-013-0255-4. Epub 2013 Jul 17. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23860951

A case-control study that took place within the inpatient wards of the IDI-San Carlo in Rome, Italy, examined 304 cases of cutaneous melanoma and 305 controls, collecting information of their socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, smoking habits, amount of sun exposure, skin pigment, and diets. Researchers found that drinking a cup of coffee at least once daily compared with drinking coffee less than five times weekly produced a small “protective effect that guarded against cutaneous melanoma (OR 0.46; 95 % CI 0.31-0.68) after taking into consideration the individual's gender, age, education, hair color, birthmarks, skin phototype, and sunburn episodes in childhood.

Kang, N. J., Lee, K. W., & Shin, B. J., et al. Caffeic acid, a phenolic phytochemical in coffee, directly inhibits Fyn kinase activity and UVB-induced COX-2 expression. (2009, February). Carcinogenenesis, 30(2), 321-30. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgn282. Epub 2008 Dec 10. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19073879

Researchers at the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota note that in-vivo data from mice epideral skin supports the hypothesis that caffeic acid suppresses UVB-induced COX-2 expression by blocking Fyn kinase activity. Fyn, a non-receptor protein ember of the tyrosine kinase family, is necessary for ultraviolet (UV B-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 expression.  However, caffeic acid checks UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis by directly blocking Fyn kinase activity.

Loftfield, Erikka, Freedman, Neal D., & Graubard, Barry L. (2015, January 13). Coffee drinking and cutaneous melanoma risk in the HIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 107(2). doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju421. [Full text]. Retrieved from http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/107/2/dju421.full

In a decade-long study of 447,357 non-Hispanic whites, high coffee intake of four or more cups of coffee daily correlates with a modest decrease in the risk of melanoma when researchers who compared study participants  who drank large amounts of coffee with non coffee-drinkers (≥4 cups/day: HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.64 to 0.89, P _trend = .01), but they didn't find a link between drinking decaffeinated coffee and a reduced risk of skin cancer (Loftfield, 2014, November 25, para. 1-4).

Lu, Y. P., Lou, Y. R., & Peng, Q. Y., et al. (2011, July). Caffeine decreases phospho-Chk1 (Ser317) and increases mitotic cells with cyclin B1 and caspase 3 in tumors from UVB-treated mice. Cancer Prevention Research (Philadelphia, Pa.), 4(7), 1118-25. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-11-0116. Epub 2011 Apr 19. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505179

Giving mice doses of caffeine significantly impairs phospho-Chk1 (Ser317) staining and an increased the number of mitotic cells that develop cyclin B1 and caspase 3 in tumors that are consistent with selectively-produced, lethal mitosis in tumors. Researchers hypothesize that caffeine can induce selective cell death, or apoptosis, in UVB tumors by inhibiting ATR/Chk1 pathways, thus promoting lethal mitosis. Therefore, caffeinated coffee and tea intake correlates with a decreased incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Miura, K., Hughes, M. C., & Green, A.C. (2014). Caffeine intake and risk of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin in an 11-year prospective study. European Journal of Nutrition, 53(2), 511-20. doi: 10.1007/s00394-013-0556-0. Epub 2013 Jul 4. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23824258

Researchers found no link between total caffeine intake and the incidence of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in a study that assessed the consumption of coffee in 1992, 1994, and 1996 in 1,325 randomly selected adult living in a subtropical Australian community.  However, individuals who had had prior skin cancers experienced a 25 percent lower risk of developing basal cell carcinoma if they drank four cups of coffee daily. Thus, a “relatively high” intake of caffeine may reduce the development of basal cell carcinoma in those individuals who have previously been diagnosed with skin cancer.

Song, F., Qureshi, A. A., & Han, J. (2012, July 1). Increased caffeine intake is associated with reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin. Cancer Research, 72(13), 3282-9. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22752299

Using data from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Harvard  University researchers examined the risks after analyzing 22,786 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 1,953 cases of squamous cell carcinoma , and 741 cases of melanoma  in relation to caffeine intake. The highest quintile of coffee drinkers in both men and women had the lowest risk of developing skin cancer (RR, 0.82 in women; 95% CI:,0.77-0.86 and RR, 0.87 in men; 95% CI, 0.81-0.94; Ptrend<0.0001 in both).

Women who drank more than three cups of coffee daily experienced the lowest risk when compared with women who drank less than one cup of coffee a month. Other sources of caffeine in tea, cola, and coffee as well as decaffeinated coffee also lowered the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma.

Yang, G., Fu, Y. & Malakhova, M., et al. (2014, October 7). Caffeic acid directly targets ERK1/2 to attenuate solar UV-induced skin carcinogenesis. Cancer Prevention Research. 10, 1056-66. doi:10.1158/1940-6207. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25104643

The Caffeic acid (3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid) found in coffee “significantly inhibits colony formation of human skin cancer cells and EGF-induced neoplastic transformation of HaCaT cells dose-dependently.” Even though researchers as yet don't understand why topical application of caffeic acid reduces tumors, after they induced skin carcinogeneisis in mice, treating skin topically with caffeic acid great suppressed the occurrence and volume of tumors.

A case-control study that took place within the inpatient wards of the IDI-San Carlo in Rome, Italy, examined 304 cases of cutaneous melanoma and 305 controls, collecting information about their socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, smoking habits, amount of sun exposure, skin pigment, and diets. Researchers found that drinking a cup of coffee at least once daily compared with drinking coffee less than five times weekly produced a small “protective effect that guarded against cutaneous melanoma (OR 0.46; 95 % CI 0.31-0.68) after taking into consideration the individual's gender, age, education, hair color, birthmarks, skin phototype, and sunburn episodes in childhood.

              Popular Articles Tout Coffee 

           Caffeine's Suppression of Cancer

Staying out of the sun is a more effective means of preventing 

skin cancer than drinking lots of coffee.

Drinking four cups of coffee daily might lower the risk of melanoma 20 percent, according to a just released National Cancer Institute/AARP study, but as the Prevention Magazine warns, it also increases the production of cortisol that might lead to heart disease. That means that older adults should be able to enjoy three cups of coffee a day, which also might protect or delay Alzheimer's disease, but they shouldn't overdo their coffee drinking. The Loftfield study also contradicts a much-cited 2012 Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University study that found that drinking three cups of coffee daily, particularly on sunny days, destroys precancerous cells that might develop into basal cell carcinoma, but it doesn't suppress squamous cell carcinomas or melanomas. All researchers, however emphasize that drinking lots of coffee doesn't mean that sunbathers should go out in the sun without applying sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.

Bakalar, Nicholas. (2015, January 22). Coffee may cut melanoma risk. Well. New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/22/coffee-may-cut-melanoma-risk/?_r=0

A ten-year study conducted by the National Cancer Institute links drinking four or more cups of coffee daily with a 20 percent reduction in risk for developing melanoma in non-Hispanic whites aged 50 to 71 when compared with their counterparts who don't drink any coffee (Bakalar, 2015, January 22, para. 1-3). 

All the same, the study's lead researcher, Erikka Loftfield, a graduate student at the Yale School of Public Health, cautions that the best way individuals can still reduce their reduce the risk of skin cancer is to stay out of the sun and avoid ultra violet light exposure (Bakalar, 2015 January 22, para. 4). The study controlled for age, gender, education, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption, but it didn't control for possible “unknown variables” that might influence this connection (Bakalr, 205, January 22, para. 5).

Park, Alice. (2015, January 20). This drink could protect you from skin cancer. Health/Cancer. Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/3675152/this-drink-could-protect-you-from-skin-cancer/

A National Institute of Health/AARP study released Tuesday, January 13, 2015, theorizes that drinking more than four cups of coffee daily lowers the  chance of developing melanoma 20 percent [compared to those who abstain entirely from coffee] (Park, 2015, January 20, para. 3). Erikka Loftfield and her fellow researchers surveyed 447,000 individuals [aged 51 to 71] who answered a 124-item food questionnaire and also allowed  researchers to access their medical records. The researchers then adjusted their findings to allow for such adverse effects as age, smoking, alcohol use, a family history of cancer, but these factors couldn't break the link between heavy coffee drinking and a lower risk of melanoma (Park, 2015, January 20, para. 4).


Loftfield explained that coffee's roasting process releases vitamin derivative that protect against UV damage, so the caffeine in coffee possibly acts as a molecular sunscreen that absorbs UV rays. Loftfield, however,cautioned that other researchers will need to repeat the study to confirm its results (Park, 2015, January 20, para. 6).


Taylor, Marygrace. (2015). 4 cups of coffee could lower your skin cancer risk 20 %. Preventon News. Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/coffee-lowers-skin-cancer-risk-20

Drinking lots of coffee may lower the risk of melanoma, according to new researched released by the National Cancer Institute, whose researchers tracked the coffee-drinking habits and skin cancer rates of “nearly 450,000 older adults for over 10 years, finding that that study participants who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee daily had a 20 percent lower risk of developing cancer. Taylor explains that the caffeine and polyphenols in coffee block ultra-violet induced tumors wile the coffee-roasting process might serve as a molecular sunscreen ( 2014, para. 1-3).

Indulging in four cups of coffee daily, however, can increase the production of cortisol, which, in turn, causes weight gain, digestive problems, and heart disease as well as anxiety, irritability, and headaches.   Accordingly, Taylor counsels readers to drink only two cups of coffee daily as well as to read a 12-ounce glass of water both before and afterward to protect against caffeine's dehydrating effect (Taylor, 2014, para. 3-4)
.

Walton, Alice G. (2015, January 23). Study: Coffee may reduce risk of melanoma. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/01/23/can-coffee-reduce-the-risk-of-skin-cancer/

Drinking four or more cups of coffee daily may reduce the risk of melanoma--the leading cause of skin cancer death. Previous research shows that compounds in coffee have lessened the risk of skin cancer in lab mice, but in human studies other variables may determine the individual's chances of developing melanoma (Walton, 2015, January 23, para. 1-2).

National Cancer Institute researchers discovered that the risk of malignant melanoma fell 20 percent if study participants drank four cups of coffee daily while they were looking for a connection between diet and skin cancer in a sample size of 447,000 cancer-free, older adults at a beginning of a ten-year longitudinal study in which 2,900 senior adults developed malignant melanoma, and 1,900 developed melanoma (Walton, 2015, January 23, para. 1-2).

Previous studies of lab mice and skin cell cultures has shown that compounds in coffee affect molecular pathways that cut the risk of UV-related skin cancer by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage in cells (Walton, 2015, January 23, para. 5).   Researchers, nevertheless, admit that earlier longitudinal studies of human populations have produced less convincing results, for example, one study [Song, Qureshi, & Han, et al, 2012] found that drinking coffee reduced the risk of skin cancer in women, but not in men (Walton, 2015, January 23, para. 6).

Then again, a Mayo Clinic study has determined that adults under the age of 55 who drank four or more cups of coffee daily had an increased mortality rate.

See:

Nelson, Jennifer K. & Zeratsky, Katherine. (2013, September 11). Heavy coffee consumption—risky in younger adults. Nutrition and Healthy Eating. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/coffee-and-young-adults/BGP-20056124

Men under age 55 who drink more than 28 cups of coffee weekly or average drinking four cups a day may increase their risk of premature death (Nelson, 2013, September 11, para. 2). The report, however, doesn't account for dietary or socioeconomic variables, although it does consider smoking, exercise and chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure (Nelson, 2013, September 11, para. 3).

Even so, heavy coffee drinker might need to reassess their lifestyle choices to determine if their drinking large quantities of coffee compensates for not enough sleep, if the sugar they add to their coffee causes weight gain, and if they substitute coffee breaks for healthy meals and snacks (Nelson, 2013, September 11, para. 4).

------------

Warner, Jennifer. (2011, October 24). Coffee fights common skin cancer: Coffee drinkers less likely to develop most common types of skin cancer. Melanoma/Skin Cancer Health Center. Web MD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/news/20111024/coffee-fights-common-skin-cancer?page=1


According to a Brigham and Women Hospital and Harvard University Medical study [Song, Qureshi, & Han, 2012), women who drink more than three cups of coffee daily lower their risk of basal cell carcinoma 20 percent more than those women who drank coffee less than once a month while men who drank more than three cups of coffee daily were 9 percent less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma cancer (Warner, 2011, October 24, para. 2-3). But drinking decaffeinated coffee didn't reduce skin cancer at all, a finding that led researchers to speculate that caffeine is the primary ingredient in coffee that reduces skin cancer (Warner, 2011, October 24, para. 4). All the same, researchers suggested that avoiding a sunburn is a better way to reduce the risk of skin cancer (Warner, 2011, October 24, para. 7).

Caffeine Cuts Skin Cancer Risk

Researchers claim that their look at more than 110,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and a Health Professionals' Follow-Up made up the first “large, prospective study” to analyze the effect of coffee drinking on basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, although they admit that previous studies hint that drinking coffee might prevent non-melanoma skin cancer (Warner, 2011, October 24, para. 8-11).

Researchers followed their study's participants for 22 to 24 years, during which time, participants reported 22,786 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 1,953 incidences of squamous cell carcinomas, and 741 melanomas whereupon researchers concluded that drinking coffee decreased the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma compared to participants who abstained from coffee, but the caffeine in coffee didn't effect other types of cancer. Women who drank the most coffee lowers their risk of developing basal cell carcinoma 18 percent, and coffee guzzling men lowered their risk nine percent (Warner, 2011, para. 12-14).

Coffee Better Than the Beach

These results, however, surprised Allan Conney, the Director of the Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory, who had expected to see coffee lower the risk of developing squamous cell carcinomas that animal models had predicted (Warner, 2011, para. 15). Paul Nghiem, an associate professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, theorizes that the caffeine in coffee prevents basal cell carcinoma by killing a small number of precancerous cell damaged by sunlight particularly on a day when someone exposes him or herself to lots of UV-rays, so the cumulative effects of coffee drinking simply don't count. Accordingly, Nghiem is looking into the possibility of adding caffeine to sunscreen (Warner, 2011, para 16-20).

___________

 

The links furnished on this Web page represent the opinions of their authors, so they complement—not substitute—for a physician’s advice.

Drinking Three Cups of Coffee Daily May Delay or Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Go Ahead & Have That 

Third Cup of Coffee: 

It Might Be Good for You

Evelyn E. Smith

M.S. in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012)

Research indicates that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day, or two lattes or cappuccinos, may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease particularly if middle-aged and older coffee drinkers couple this habit with a healthy lifestyle (following a Mediterranean diet that features olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, and two or more servings of omega-3 fatty fish weekly, performing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least five days a week as well as exercising their minds, watching their weight, and not smoking). Admittedly, however, researchers also confess that it's hard to determine whether moderate to heavy coffee drinkers have a more active lifestyle than their less invigorated counterparts whose Mild Cognitive Disorder gradually slips into Alzheimer's Disease.

Research Online Points to the Possibility that Drinking Coffee Protects Against Alzheimer's Disease

Drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee may delay or possibly prevent Alzheimer's.

Arendash, G. W. & Cao, C. (2010). Caffeine and coffee as therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD, 20 Suppl 1:S117-26. doi. 10.3233/JAD-2010-091249 [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182037

When researchers gave mice bred to develop dementia caffeine in their drinking water from young adulthood into old age, this lowered the level of amyloid beta protein in their brains. Moreover, “aged” and “cognitively-impaired” mice had lower levels of amyloid beta protein in their brains following only one to two months of caffeine treatment. Indeed, only one oral caffeine treatment reduced both brain and plasma amyloid beta levels. Arendash and Cao conjecture that the cognitive benefits of caffeine result from the caffeine itself and not from the metabolites, or the byproducts, of caffeine. Thus, Arendash and Cao suggest that drinking five cups of coffee daily will protect against the development of Alzheimer's.

Basurto-Islas, G., Blanchard, J, & Tung, Y.C., et al. (2014, December). Therapeutic benefits of a component of coffee in a rat model of Alzheimer's Disease. Neurobiology of Aging. 35(12), 2701-12. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.06.012. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25034344

In a lab rat's model for Alzheimer's Disease, a supposedly “minor component” of coffee not related to caffeine, eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide (EHT), ameliorated the effects of cognitive impairment after researchers supplemented the rat's diet with EHT for six to twelve months.

Cao, C., Lowenstein, D. A., & Lin, X. (2012). High blood caffeine levels in MCI linked to lack of progression to dementia. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD. 20(3), 559-72. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111781. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22430531

In a case-controlled study over a two to four year period, plasma caffeine bio-marker levels were 51 percent lower in seniors aged 65 to 88 years old that went on to develop Alzheimer's Disease after first being diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment that those whose plasma caffeine bio-marker levels were above 1200 ng/ml. Coffee was the major or primary source of caffeine for the stable MCI patients. “This case-control study provides the first direct evidence that caffeine/coffee intake is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, or delayed onset, particularly for those who already have MCI.”

Carman, A. H., Dacks, P. A., & Lane, R. F., et al. (2014, April). Current evidence for the use of coffee and caffeine to prevent age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. The Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging. 18 (4), 383-92. doi: 10.1007/s12603-014-0021-7. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24676319

While research has long established that drinking coffee and other drinks containing caffeine improves short-term memory, limited research also suggests that drinking coffee might also protect against the “cognitive decline” that results in Alzheimer's Disease. In vitro and pre-clinical animal models have discovered “plausible neuroprotective mechanisms” in both caffeine and other bio-active components found in coffee; however, epidemiolgy research has come up with “mixed results”: Some studies show a link between caffeine and the ability to guard against dementia, but some research doesn't show that caffeine produces any benefit. Furthermore, the researchers know of no randomized controlled trials to test this hypothesis. Thus, researchers need to carry out short-term clinical trials to validate findings from pre-clinical models as well as to conduct epidemiological studies that incorporate more standardized methods of data collection and analysis.

Chu, Y. F., Chang, W. H., & Black, R. M. (2012, December 1). Crude caffeine reduces memory impairmemt and amyloid β (1014) Levels in an Alzheimer's mouse model. Food Chemistry. 135(3), 2095-2102. oi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.148. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22953961

Crude caffeine, or the byproduct of decaffeinated coffee, exhibits a “potent hydrophilic antioxidant activity” that may reduce the inflammatory processes associated with Alzheimer's Disease--or at least two months of administering crude caffeine to mice bred to develop dementia reduces their Aβ(1-42) levels and the number of amyloid plaques in their hippocampuses, guarding primary neurons against Aβ-induced cell death and inhibiting Aβ-induced caspase-3 activity.

Eskelinen, M. H. & Kivipelto, M. (2010). Caffeine as a protective factor in dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD, 20 Suppl. 1: S167-75. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-1404. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182054

Three out of five longitudinal and epidemiological studies on caffeine and coffee and tea consumption and dementia support the idea that drinking coffee protects against cognitive decline. Two studies also note that drinking both coffee and tea helps prevent [or delay] dementia, although the benefits of drinking tea are “less evident” than those of drinking coffee. The CAIDE study associates drinking between three to five cups of coffee daily from midlife on with a 65 percent decrease in the risk of dementia later in life.

Gelber, R. P., Petrovitch, H., & Masaki, K. H., et al. (2011). Coffee intake in midlife and risk of dementia and its neuropathologic correlates. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD. 23(4), 607-15. doi: 10.5487/TR.2011.27.1.007. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157028

After following 3,494 men whose average age was 52 in 1965-1968 until 1991 to 1993 and afterwards examining 418 brain autopsies, researchers have determined that coffee and caffeine intake in midlife lowers the odds of having any types of brain lesions upon autopsy. However,they didn't find any association between caffeine intake and the risk of cognitive impairment. Men who consumed the most caffeine were less likely to develop brain lesions of any type than those who consumed the least caffeine.

Santos, C., Luent, N., & Azevedo, A., et al. (2010). Caffeine intake is associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline: A cohort study from Portugal. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD. 20 Suppl 1:S175-85. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-091303. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182036

Researchers associated with the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the Porto University Medical School and Institute of Public Health found that caffeine intake of more than 62 milligrams. a day lowered the risk of cognitive decline in women, but not in men, after conducting a longitudinal study of 648 men and women 65 years or over between 1993 to 2003 and then conducting a follow-up study between 2005-2008. Researchers evaluated the seniors' cognitive health by administering a Mini-Mental State Examination and adjusted for risk factors, such as age, educational level, smoking, drinking habits, body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes.

You, D. C., Kim, Y. S., & Ha, A. W. et al. (2011,March). Possible health effects of caffeinated coffee consumption on Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease. Toxicological Research. 27(1), 7-10. doi: 10.5487/TR.2011.27.1.007. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24278543

A South Korean review of epidemiological and experimental studies shows  that moderate doses of caffeine provide some protection against both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's.

Zhang, L. F., Zhou, Z. W., &Wang, Z. H. et al. (2014, December 24). Coffee and caffeine potentiate the antiamyloidogenic activity of melatonin via inhibition of Aβ oligomerization and modulation of the Tau-mediated pathway in N2a/APP cells. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 9:241-72. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S71106. [Abstract only]. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25565776

Since previous animal research indicates that coffee caffeine, and melatonin individually are beneficial in the treatment of Alzheimer's, researchers examined whether or not combining coffee (or caffeine) and melatonin produced a synergistic/addictive effect on amyloid-β (Aβ) protein. When researchers treated amyloid-(APP) cells with coffee or caffeine for 12 hours daily followed by melatonin for 12 hours each night, this significantly reduced extra-cellular levels of Aβ40/42 and Aβ42 oligomers. 

 However, when they treated the cells with coffee, or caffeine, plus melatonin for 24 hours from 7 a. m. to 7 a. m. the next day, this didn't remarkably effect the cells, and when when they treated the cells with coffee, or caffeine, plus melatonin for five consecutive days, this produced less of an antiamyloidogenic effect compared than the first experiment that only treated cells with caffeine during the day and with melatonin during the evening.

Popular Online Articles Explain How Coffee Protects Against Alzheimer's

Coffee has medicinal properties!

Aubrey, Allison. (2010, June 28). Nervous about Alzheimer's? Coffee may help. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128110552

Although several studies suggest that caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's, a cup or two a day isn't enough—500 milligrams of caffeine, or the equivalent of five cups of regular coffee, remains the recommended dosage (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para.1).

Five Cups a Day

Gary Arendash, a researcher at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Florida State University, drinks five cups of coffee daily, convinced that this habit defends against the ravages of Alzheimer's (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 3). When Arendash and his fellow researchers added caffeinated water to their Alzheimer's Disease-bred rats, the lab rats if administered enough caffeine performed better running mazes, and they also ended up with a 50 percent reduction in amyloid proteins in their brains (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 4, 6, & 10).

The average American coffee drinker, however, imbibes only about one and a half cups of coffee daily--far below the level that might “confer protective benefits” (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 7).

Not that the therapeutic results of any caffeine given animals necessarily translates into similar results in humans, although animal studies are “a good starting point” if scientists wish to research whether or not drinking lots of coffee reduces the risk of  developing Alzheimer's Disease (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 8-9).

Observations of Coffee-loving Middle-Aged Folks

While Florida State University researchers have been studying the effects of caffeine on lab rats, other scientists have been collecting research that indicates that drinking lots of coffee is beneficial for middle-aged and older adults. For example, a Finnish study that followed 1,400 coffee drinkers for two decades found that those coffee lovers who drank between three to five cups of coffee daily in their 40s and 50's had a 65 to 70 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's in their 70's (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 12-14).

All the same, although smaller longitudinal studies have found similar results, Reisa Sperling, an Alzheimer's Researcher at Harvard University''s Brigham and Women's Hospital, hesitates before suggesting that epidemiological evidence proves that coffee prevents Alzheimer's since other factors might influence an individual's susceptibility. For instance, active, middle-aged adults might be drinking more coffee than couch potatoes (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 15-17).

Coffee Drinking Can't Offset Genetic Risk

While regular exercise and proper nutrition gives some protection from Alzheimer's, no behavior or diet can completely cancel the risk of developing what is a genetic disease (Aubrey, 2010, June 28, para. 18).

Coffee and Caffeine. (2014, January 16). Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/report/coffee-and-caffeine

Senior adults who drink “moderate” amounts of coffee (between three and five cups) are less likely to develop dementia as evidenced by studies of isolated cells, research on lab rats, and  longitudinal research on human subjects. However, it's best to consult a physician before starting a dietary regime that drastically increases coffee consumption (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 1).

Caffeine and Coffee

Because it's difficult to determine whether the caffeine in coffee or coffee's other components is more beneficial, drinking either regular or decaffeinated coffee may decrease the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 3).

Sources of Coffee and Caffeine

Almost all observational research on caffeine studies the effect of coffee on the brain: A cup of coffee contains between 60 to 18 milligrams of caffeine while a cup of tea contains just 30 to 45 milligrams; an ounce of chocolate contains one to 30 milligrams, and 12-ounce cans of energy drinks have between 25 to 60 milligrams of caffeine. Research, however has proven that energy drinks might produce “adverse health results”. Caffeine is also available as a dietary supplement is doses of 100 milligrams (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 5).

How Coffee and Caffeine Might Benefit the Brain

Caffeine temporarily increases the brain's activity by stimulating the central nervous system. Thus, moderate amounts of caffeine increase alertness and muscle coordination. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee both have antioxident and anti-inflammatory properties, so they may both protect against Alzheimer's (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 7).

Can It Prevent Dementia?

Although researchers haven't conducted any randomized trials, limited evidence suggests that drinking between three to five cups of coffee daily lowers the incidence of Alzheimer's disease in older adults, even though some studies haven't established any links between drinking coffee and preventing dementia. It's also not possible to determine whether an individual's lifestyle choices and hereditary is more likely to determine if he or she develops Alzheimer's Disease (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 8).

Can It Benefit Someone with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Disorder?

One longitudinal study that measured the blood caffeine levels in senior adults diagnosed with M.C.I. over a two to four-year period tentatively showed that those patients whose blood contained higher levels of caffeine were 50 percent less likely to develop dementia than those with lower levels of caffeine in their blood. However, these results didn't conclusively prove that drinking lots of coffee prevented them from developing Alzheimer's Disease, for other characteristics shared by those M.C.I. patients who didn't succumb to Alzheimer's might have produced this result (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 9-10).

Can It Slow or Delay Death?

Several large observational studies indicate that drinking coffee bestows cardiovascular benefits and helps prevent Type 2 diabetes, or else it ameliorate its effects, so drinking coffee might result in a longer life. On the other hand, some studies suggest that when an older adult drinks more than three cups of coffee daily, this raises the risk of death (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 11).

Is It Safe to Use as Directed?

Drinking two to four cups of coffee daily ordinarily is safe for healthy adults, although adults diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure should ask their doctor how much coffee they can safely drink each day. Pregnant women shouldn't consume more than 200 milligrams of coffee daily and those taking the muscle relaxant tizanidine (Zanaflex) or the anti-depressant fluvoxamine (Luvox) shouldn't drink any coffee. Coffee [particularly when drunk at night] can interfere with sleep patterns (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 12-13).

If You Are Considering Taking Coffee and Caffeine

Before drastically upping their coffee consumption, seniors should talk to their physician (Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, 2014, January 16, para. 14).

Coffee 'may reverse Alzheimer's'. (2009, July 5). BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8132122.stm

Drinking 5 cups of coffee may reverse memory problems found in Alzheimer's disease (2009, July 5, para. 1).

Research with mice suggests that ingesting  caffeine restrains the development of the protein plaques that characterize Alzheimer's Disease. Even so, British experts advise that this doesn't mean that dementia patients should start taking caffeine supplements (2009, July 5, para. 2 & 4).

To determine whether the 55 mice aged 18 to 19 months old (or about 70 in human years) bred to develop dementia, showed signs of memory impairment, University of South Florida researchers administered behavioral tests before giving half the mice caffeine in their drinking water and half the mice plain water (2009, July 5, para. 5-6). The researchers then gave the caffeine-fed mice  the lab-rat equivalent of five, eight-ounce cups of coffee daily, or about the same amount of caffeine found in two latte or cappuccino cups of coffee, 14 cups of tea, or 20 soft drinks (2009, July 5, para. 7).

When researchers tested the two groups of Alzheimer's bred mice two months later, those mice with caffeinated water performed about the same as mice  that didn't show any signs of dementia and much better on memory tests [running mazes] than the Alzheimer's bred mice given plain water (2009, July 5, para. 8-9). The brains of those mice who received caffeine in their water also showed a nearly 50 percent decrease in their levels of beta amyloid protein (2009, July 5, para. 10).

Additional research indicates that caffeine reduces the creation of enzymes necessary to make beta amyloid protein as well as inhibiting inflammatory changes that over produce it. Moreover, when younger mice bred to develop Alzheimer's received caffeine in their drinking water from early adulthood, this prevented them from having memory problems (2009, July 5, para. 11-13).

'Safe Drug'

Gary Arendash, who led the University of South Florida research, claims that these results furnish evidence that caffeine might be a “viable treatment” for already diagnosed Alzheimer's Disease rather than just a preventive measure. Hence, his team of researchers hopes to replicate the results of their mice trials in humans (2009, July 5, para. 14).

4 surprising benefits of coffee. (2014, April 9). Alzheimer's.net. Retrieved from http://www.alzheimers.net/2014-04-09/benefits-of-coffee/

Coffee Can Delay the Onset of Alzheimer's

Even in senior adults showing signs of “mild dementia”, drinking three cups of coffee daily can delay Alzheimer's onset since caffeine blocks inflammation of the brain as shown in the brains of adults over age 65 who had high levels of caffeine in their blood (4 Surprising Benefits, 2014, April 9, para. 1-3).

Coffee Positively Affects Key Protein in Alzheimer's Disease.

Because caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist, it blocks receptors in the brain that contribute to the development and entanglement of tau protein, a protein that kills brain cells (4 Surprising Benefits, 2014, April 9, para. 4-5).

Coffee Boosts Brain Function and Memory.

A 2014 stud from the University of California found that adults who consumed 200 milligrams of coffee before taking a memory test scored much higher than controls. However participants given 300 milligrams of caffeine didn't do any better than those who consumed 200 milligrams of caffeine (4 Surprising Benefits, April 9, para. 6-9).

Coffee Can Protect Against Type 2 Diabetes, Which Can Lead to Alzheimer's

Compared with those individuals who didn't drink any coffee, those that drank six cups of either regular or de-caffinated coffee daily significantly lowered their risk of Type 2 diabetes. For every cup of regular coffee drunk daily, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes decreases nine percent while for every cup of decaffinated coffee drunk daily, the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes drops six percent (4 Surprising Benefits, April 9, para. 9-10).

Mann, Denise. (2012, June 7). Drinking coffee may delay Alzheimer's disease. Web M. D. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20120607/coffee-may-help-turn-tide-on-alzheimers-disease?page=2

Drinking three cups of coffee daily may delay Alzheimer's in adults over age 65 who are already showing signs of memory problems, so they develop Alzheimer's two to four years later than seniors with lower caffeine levels in their blood (Mann, 2012, June 7, para 1-2).

The study, which appears in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, looked at 124 adults aged 65 to 88 diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment since 15 percent of seniors diagnosed with MCI go on to develop Alzheimer's each year (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 3-4).

Levels of caffeine the the blood were 50 percent lower among seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer's compared to those who didn't go on to develop this disease. However, in this study, coffee remained the main, or only, source of caffeine (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 5).

No participants diagnosed with MCI whose initial blood levels contained above 1,2000 ng/ml of caffeine, or equal to about three cups of coffee daily, went on to develop Alzheimer's (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 6).

Chuanhai, Cao, a researcher at the University of South Florida's College of Pharmacy and the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute in Tampa, Florida, thus urges adults beginning in their mid-30's to start drinking at least three, eight-ounce cups of coffee each morning  (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 7-8).

Coffee May Lower Alzheimer's Risk

Cao theorizes that with advancing age, the brain no longer metabolizes beta amyloid protein, so it builds up in the brain. Caffeine, however, inhibits the growth of this protein, so the brain absorbs it without turning it into plaque (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 9-13). Research also shows that drinking significant amounts of coffee reduces the risk of Parkinson's, stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, and cancer (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 14).

Could It Be Adult ADHD?

Sam Grundy a researcher at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, makes the educated guess that Alzheimer's might be the senior adult equivalent of ADHD. Therefore, since caffeine increases attention, Grundy maintains that it improves memory while elevating cyclic AMP levels that reduce the accumulation of amyloid protein (Mann, 2012, June 7, para. 19).

Reynolds, Gretchen. (2013, June 6). This is your brain on coffee. Well. New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/this-is-your-brain-on-coffee/?_r=0

A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study published in 2012 briefly deprived mice of oxygen, causing them to lose their ability to form memories.  At this point, half the mice received a dose of caffeine equal to several cups of coffee. Mice rejuvenated with caffeine regained their ability to make new memories 33 percent faster than a control group that didn't receive any caffeine. Autopsies showed that caffeine disrupted the chemical reactions caused by adenosine, which can “jump start“ a biochemical cascade leading to inflammation when illness or accident injuries brain cells or if the brain is under stress (Reynolds, G., 2013, June 6, para. 3).

A 2012 study conducted by the University of South Florida and the University of Miami researchers tested blood levels in seniors with Mild Cognitive Disorder and then re-evaluated their mental health two to four years later and found that adults who in the original study had little or no levels of caffeine circulating in their blood stream had progressed to “full-blown" Alzheimer's compared with those seniors who drank three cups of coffee daily (Reynolds, G., 2013, June 6, para. 4).

In a 2011 study, University of South Florida researchers also found that mice bred to develop Alzheimer's and then given caffeine alone did less well on memory tests than those mice that drank coffee (Reynolds, G.,2013, June 6, para. 5).

Reynolds, Mark. (2014, November 27). Just THREE cups of coffee delay could clash the risk of Alzheimer's study finds. Express. Retrieved from http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/540506/Drinking-Coffee-Fights-Alzheimer-s-Risk

In a paper originally presented at the Alzheimer's Europe Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in October 2014, researchers from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee linked “regular, lifelong moderate coffee consumption” with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (Reynolds, M., 2014, November 27, para. 2-5).

Researchers defined moderate coffee consumption as drinking from three to five cups daily, a dose necessary to achieve coffee's “optimum protective effect”, reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 20 percent for a four-year period, presumably after showing signs of Mild Cognitive Disorder (Reynolds, M., 2014, November 27, para. 6-7).

Scientists theorize that the caffeine and polyphenol compounds found in coffee reduce inflammation and prevent the formation of amyloid plaque and its accompanying deterioration of the brain cells in the hippocampus and the cortex (Reynolds, M. 2014, November 27, para. 8-9). Nevertheless, Jess Smith, a researcher for the United Kingdom's Alzheimer's Society, cautions that this evidence is still inconclusive, so neuoscientists need to conduct additional clinical trials to determine how coffee can protect against Alzheimer's over a long period of time (Reynolds, M., 2014, November 27, para. 11).

Smith also warns that such factors as exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, not smoking or drinking in excess, and managing health conditions all play a part in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, although Alzheimer's is a progressive disease with symptoms gradually becoming worse while strokes also cause dementia (Reynolds, M., 2014, November 27,para. 13-14).

Shah, Yagana. (2014, November 11). Regular coffee consumption could keep Alzheimer's at bay report says. Post 50. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/26/coffee-alzheimers-disease-risk-_n_6221436.html

Drinking coffee might curb the risk of Alzheimer's Disease on a short-term basis, according to a report issued by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee presented at Alzheimer's Europe Conference (Shah, 2014, November 11, para. 2). Researchers attribute coffee's antioxidant effect that reduces inflammation to the caffeine and polyphenol compounds found in coffee since they prevent the build up of protein that creates the plaque associated with Alzheimer's Disease (Shah, 2014, November 11, para. 4).

The study followed 5,000 participants between 1989 and 1991 and then followed-up on this research between 1997 and 2011, finding that those who drank more than three cups of coffee daily were less likely to develop dementia, although this protective effect weakened as the years went by (Shah, 2014, November 11, para. 5). A similar study published in 2012 found that while drinking three cups of coffee daily can't completely stop senior adults from developing Alzheimer's, it can slow the mental decline of patients diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (Shah, 2014, November 11, para. 8).

So What If I Don't Always Manage to Drink Three Cups of Coffee Daily? 


Added January 25, 2015

For those who don't get their coffee quota of three cups of coffee daily, drinking coffee is just one way to cut down one's risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.  Moreover, drinking lots of coffee "isn't a get out of jail free" card since middle aged and older adults also need to adhere to a healthy diet, watch their weight, get in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily, and continue to exercise their minds.  Finally, remember that preventing dementia starts in childhood.

Forget Alzheimer's Disease: Remember these tips to avoid memory loss. (2013). The Daniel Plan. Retrieved from http://www.danielplan.com/healthyhabits/preventingalzheimers/

___________





The links furnished on this Web page represent the opinions of their authors, so they complement—not substitute—for a physician’s advice.