Coffee Drinkers May Be Less Likely To Develop Dementia

February 4, 2009 10:46 a.m. EST

Miami, FL (AHN) - The more coffee you drink, the less chance you will end up developing mental impairments later in life, a new study suggests.

A team of Danish and Swedish researchers concluded in a recent study that middle-aged coffee drinkers could have a significantly less risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, later on in life.

The team tracked the coffee habits of 1,409 middle-aged men and women for 21 years. During that time, 61 participants developed dementia, 48 of whom developed Alzheimer's.

The researchers controlled for socioeconomic factors and health risks like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and found that people who drank three to five cups of coffee a day were 65 percent less likely to develop dementia than subjects who drank two cups or less per day.

"Given the large amount of coffee consumption globally, the results might have important implications for the prevention of, or delaying the onset of dementia/[Alzheimer's disease]," the researchers said in a statement.

People who drank more than five cups were also at a reduced risk, but there were not enough people in this group to draw significantly solid conclusions, the New York Times reported.