Caffeine Helps Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Patients

Can there be anything finer? A cup of coffee enjoyed out on the patio at dawn as the sun filters through the trees to the east. Even better if enjoyed around an early morning campfire, with the scent of pine lingering in the air above the fire pit. I could go on and on for hours.

They've been studying caffeine (again!), and this time, the news is all good. Once maligned as all-around bad for you, the lively substance has now been given a clean bill of health by ... well, everyone.

The most effective caffeine, though, is in tablet form, not in coffee, because the 100-plus other compounds in coffee probably block some of the effect of caffeine. Mega doses, however, are not the right answer. Caffeine, which speeds metabolism, is the most-active ingredient in many "diet pills. Caffeine breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise."

Many studies have shown that coffee can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illnesses as varied as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinson?s disease and more. Although, I don't believe coffee would be the cure all to any of these diseases, many ancient cultures did rely on the coffee bean to cure a long list of ailments. Not to mention, small doses of caffeine can increase performance and mental focus.

People should stop looking at caffeine as a bad drug and realize caffeine's benefits outweigh its downfalls. Ninety percent of people across the world have drunk caffeine for its stimulating effects. Caffeine is used in many medications and even has many benefits for just daily consumption as well. Caffeine isn't a terrible thing that we should quit taking, and start buying all caffeine free pop for our children. Caffeine by itself has many advantages for people and also for the medical field too.

The physical and mental advantages of caffeine outweigh the disadvantages. If a person consumes a moderate consumption of caffeine then they will actually benefit from that. Caffeine has been proven to increase work capacity, stimulate respiration, and perform Intellectual tasks more easily. Caffeine greatly increases the metabolic processes used in everyday activity, resulting in an increase in breathing rates. Caffeine can also raise some people?s body temperature due to the increase in blood flow and muscle activity

On May 24, 2000, the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that men who do NOT drink regular coffee are FIVE TIMES more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those who drink 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups a day! The researchers said the benefits are probably due to caffeine. Apparently the more the better. Outside experts said the findings, if confirmed, could lead to ways to treat Parkinson's more effectively or even prevent the disease, which afflicts 1 million Americans.

Right now, adeno-sine is coursing through your veins, and its job is to put the brakes on your central nervous system. You might call it nature's chill pill. That's because as your day progresses, adenosine builds up naturally in your bloodstream, causing you to slow down and become sleepier. Adenosine accomplishes this total-body shutdown by plugging into adenosine receptors--like electrical cords into outlets. These connections inhibit the release of neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers that control both brain and muscle function. But as it turns out, caffeine is an excellent adenosine impersonator. In fact, when the two rivals jockey for the same parking space, caffeine wins. What's more, blocking adenosine may slow the buildup of amyloid-beta, a toxic brain plaque that's associated with Alzheimer's disease

Back-to-back studies published online today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, show caffeine significantly decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice exhibiting symptoms of the disease. Based on these promising findings in mice, researchers at the Florida ADRC and Byrd Alzheimer's Center at USF hope to begin human trials to evaluate whether caffeine can benefit people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease.

While a number of advanced Alzheimer?s drugs and treatments have been developed in recent years, University of Florida researchers are actually treating symptoms that might appear. Human subjects were not used in the study, only mice that were bred to develop Alzheimer?s. They fed half of the laboratory animals a heavy diet of caffeine once they saw signs of the disease. The research team was surprised at the results. The mice fed the caffeine performed much better on memory tests than those that didn?t receive the caffeine. Researchers say they are eager to launch clinical trials with human subjects, believing they are close to ending a scourge of aging. They say caffeine is safe for most people and easily absorbed by the brain, and appears to directly attack the disease.