I drink coffee regularly and so I was eager to find out what affects it may be having on my brain. I did a little research and I found out that coffee is actually GOOD FOR YOU.
In a nutshell, adenosine is a chemical in the brain and body that provides our cells with energy. However, when we are under stress or when cells are damaged the adenosine leaks out and makes us tired or can disrupt other neurons from functioning. This disruption can lead to Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The caffeine in a cup of coffee blocks adenosine, so coffee doesn’t stimulate your brain, it merely repels the part that’s making you drowsy.
Here is the benefit. A study done on older people with serious forgetfulness revealed that those who did not drink coffee were more likely to have developed Alzheimer’s or other brain diseases than those who drank the moderate amount of 3 to 5 cups per day. So coffee actually helps keep your memories in tact! This was awesome news to me because I have a friend with a serious case of Alzheimer’s in her family history. I have heard her say on numerous occasions that she smokes like a chimney because she would rather die of lung cancer than develop Alzheimer’s. I can only imagine how heart breaking it must be to see a loved one suffer through this disease.
Not surprising, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Having high doses of caffeine can hurt or even kill you and since your brain learns to balance the caffeine, it will cause headaches when you quit cold turkey or skip a few days.
I should also note that more studies are being performed on whether blocking adenosine with caffeine alone lessens the effects of brain diseases or if there are other ingredients in the coffee itself that helps decrease the risk.
Either way, this finding has eliminated any guilt I’ve ever had about pouring myself a second and third cup. Here’s to preserving my memory.
