July 15, 2002

8:01 PM

New Starbucks Slogan: "For Your Health"....new research shows that three cups of coffee or more every day might reduce risk of alzheimers by 60%. I'm sure dedicated coffee drinkers really need another reason....
posted by LuxFX (14 comments total)

All we can conclude is that long-term caffeine intake may be having a protective effect," director Dr Richard Harvey said.

Good. That's coffee, sex, laughter, red wine and chocolate so far. How long do we have to hold out for cigars and martinis?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:48 PM on July 15, 2002

So... That's parkinson's and alzheimer's I don't have to worry about. Of course, the pre-existing heart condition, combined with my intake of (roughly) 1.5 pots per day of coffee (and a pack of smokes a day) probably means that I'm not going to live long enough to worry about either of those. What a pointle-- *gasp* *THUD*
posted by fnord_prefect at 9:08 PM on July 15, 2002

Being an avid coffee consumer, this might be good news. Even though not much is known about the disease, certain characteristics have been observed. According to this article, I could see how caffiene, by increasing blood flow, might keep blood vessels in the brain clear of Amyloid deposits. By other means, it could suppress the overproduction of beta-amyloid proteins.

If caffiene's the way to go, I suggest the pills over coffee. I could imagine nothing worse than being one of the unlucky 40% that are constantly surprised that they have kidney stones.
posted by samsara at 9:12 PM on July 15, 2002

Of course coffee's good for ya, all ya had to do was ask this guy.
posted by jonmc at 9:16 PM on July 15, 2002

riiiiiiiiight. i believe the most addictive legal drug on the planet has beneficial aspects...
posted by jcterminal at 9:28 PM on July 15, 2002

I love it when a plan comes togther.
posted by dong_resin at 9:35 PM on July 15, 2002

But wait, aren't aluminum cans supposed to cause alzheimers? So if my only source of caffeine comes from colas, does that mean I'm good, bad or a wash?
posted by willnot at 10:01 PM on July 15, 2002

Aluminum is used as a filling agent in pills actually. It's pretty harmless compared to caffeine witch is a toxic alkaloid. (and also the inside of soda cans is coated with plastic to prevent oxidation, take a look ;)
posted by kush at 1:26 AM on July 16, 2002

that looks like no coffee i've ever drank - it looks like tar
posted by monkeyJuice at 1:50 AM on July 16, 2002

Three cups? That's too much coffee, man.
posted by sheauga at 4:50 AM on July 16, 2002

It has to be true. I drink so much caffeine that I have other people's memories in addition to mine.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:32 AM on July 16, 2002

But do you drink so much that you can grind your beans with your teeth?

Wow, this server is peppy. Must have had its grande latte enema.
posted by adampsyche at 6:46 AM on July 16, 2002

Remember, there is also the less TV / more reading option. But I'm going to guess that's not patriotic (besides having dangerous side-effects).
posted by magullo at 6:51 AM on July 16, 2002

Maybe the coffee-drinking weeds out the "weak" so that only the "strong", who are less likely to get Alzheimer's in the first place, are left in the coffee-drinking population ;)
posted by percine at 5:00 PM on July 16, 2002