Could drinking coffee counter Alzheimer's? Study confirms caffeine as treatment option

Could caffeine be a future treatment for Alzheimer? A new study suggests that its effects could be beneficial in slowing the disease's progression in patients affected at early stages.

Various epidemiological studies have already highlighted that regular and moderate consumption of caffeine seems to slow down cognitive decline linked to aging and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by impairments in memory, executive functions, and orientation in time and space.

In a new study, published in the journal Brain, researchers from Lille University Hospital and the University of Lille analyzed the mechanisms underlying the development of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

They demonstrated that the pathological increase in caffeine target receptors in neurons during the development of the disease promoted the loss of synapses, and in fact, the early development of memory disorders in an animal model of the disease.

In 2016, the same research team studied one of the mechanisms by which caffeine could block these same receptors in animals, the expression of which is abnormally increased in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. 

"We can therefore imagine that by blocking these receptors, whose activity is increased in patients with Alzheimer's, caffeine could prevent the development of memory disorders and even other cognitive and behavioral symptoms," said David Blum, research director at Inserm, one of the authors of the study.

A phase 3 clinical trial, led by the Lille University Hospital, including 248 patients is currently underway. Half of the patients will receive 400 milligrams of caffeine, the other half a placebo.

Its aim is to evaluate the effect of caffeine on the cognitive functions of patients with early to moderate forms of Alzheimer's disease. 

"If the trial is positive, it will prompt us to launch a larger trial. Potentially, it could mean that caffeine can be used as a drug for the treatment of this disease," he said.

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