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Caffeine may help older women stay sharp
Memory getting worse? Coffee may help – at least if you’re a woman over 65
Drinking coffee may help women turn back the clock and stay sharp, according to a study published in the journal Neurology
Researchers in France followed 7000 healthy people over four years, monitoring how much coffee they drank and checking their cognitive ability.
What they found was that women aged 65 and older who drank at least three cups of coffee each day (or tea with the equivalent caffeine content), did much better in memory tests than women of the same age who limited their daily caffeine intake to one cup or less. The results held up even after other factors such as education, illness and disability were taken into account.
And the older you get, the more you reap the benefits - as long as you are female. The study found that, at 65, female coffee drinkers were 30 percent less likely to have memory decline but at 80 years old, they were 70 per cent less likely to have impaired memory.
Men don’t seem to benefit in the same way, however much coffee they drink. The team were unsure why men missed out. "Women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine," said lead author Karen Ritchie of INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, in Montpellier, France. "Their bodies may react differently to the stimulant, or they may metabolise caffeine differently."
More research now needs to be done to understand how caffeine works to slow down memory loss. "We really need a longer study to look at whether caffeine prevents dementia; it might be that caffeine could slow the dementia process rather than preventing it," said Ritchie.
"This new study provides some of the best evidence yet that drinking coffee can help prevent some aspects of cognitive decline in women," said Dr Susanne Sorensen, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society.
Top tips to keep your brain sharp
- Exercise your brain. Studies show that older people who keep their brains busy with chess, puzzles and crosswords are more likely to stay sharp
- Make sure that you enjoy a diet with plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, found in oily fish. These fats have been linked to better brain power
- Keep active. Exercising your body also exercises the mind
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Turn off the television and read a book instead
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
