Can caffeine be used to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease?

Can caffeine be used to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease?
Credit: (c) 2015 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

The proposed link between caffeine and reductions in the beta amyloid plaque accumulation characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggest a possible role for caffeine in AD treatment. The latest evidence linking beta amyloid protein to Alzheimer's disease and exploring the relationship between caffeine and beta amyloid are featured in a review article in Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science.

In the article "Caffeine as Treatment for Alzheimer's: A Review", Abhishek Mohan, MD, PhD, Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA), and coauthors identify the potential opportunities for using to reduce beta amyloid levels as a means of preventing, treating, and slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

"To say that strategizing medicines to treat Alzheimer's disorders is important is an understatement," says Patricia A. Broderick, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caffeine Research, Medical Professor in Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, The City College of New York, The City University of New York, and Adjunct Professor in Neurology, New York University Langone Medical Center and Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. "Moreover, to say that caffeine is just an ordinary staple in our lives, whether caffeine is part of coffee or a chocolate bar, is also an understatement. Thus, what Dr. Mohan has published herein is elegant in its simplicity; his work is critically on target."

More information: The article is available free on the Journal of Caffeine Research website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jcr.2014.0027 until May 1, 2015.

Journal information: Journal of Caffeine Research
Citation: Can caffeine be used to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease? (2015, March 31) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-03-caffeine-alzheimer-disease.html
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