Long-term consumption of caffeine may worsen effects of Alzheimer’s

( Natural News ) Drinking coffee and other caffeinated drinks for years on end may not be a good idea for people who already have Alzheimer’s disease. In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology , it has been revealed that long-term consumption of caffeine can worsen the symptoms of Alzheimer’s . While memory problems are the most widely known symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, this form of dementia also causes neuropsychiatric symptoms called Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). These symptoms include anxiety, apathy, depression, hallucinations, paranoid, and sundowning (restlessness or agitation that worsens as daylight begins to fade). Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Inc-UAB) in Spain and the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Sweden looked at the long-term effects of caffeine consumption with normal aging mice and familial Alzheimer’s models. Earlier research has shown that caffeine may help prevent dementia because of its ability to block adenosine receptors, which may cause dysfunctions and disease in old age. However, for people who already have Alzheimer’s disease, caffeine intake may not be beneficial and may even cause negative effects. For the study, the researchers treated mice with either water or a very low dose of caffeine (0.3 milligrams per milliliter [mg/mL]) from adulthood until middle age (ages six to 13 months). The amount of caffeine given to mice is equivalent to three cups of coffee for humans. The results showed that caffeine changed the behavior of healthy mice and worsened the neuropsychiatric symptoms of mice with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in relation to anxiety-related behaviors, emotional and cognitive flexibility, and neophobia (an extreme fear of everything new). Mother Nature’s micronutrient secret : Organic Broccoli Sprout Capsules now available, delivering 280mg of high-density nutrition, including the extraordinary "sulforaphane" and "glucosinolate" nutrients found only […]

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