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# Of mice and memory
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/070720090656_of_mice_and_memory/
- Published: 2009-07-07T06:56:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-20T15:46:06.000Z
- Description: University of South Florida researchers report in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that caffeine equal to five cups of coffee a day reversed memory impairment in aged mice bred for Alzheimer's symptoms, and cut the disease's hallmark protein in their brains and blood.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Food, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By Sheilah Downey

That morning coffee buzz may keep you in the pink.

Promising studies released today showed that aging mice who drank coffee had improved memories, a finding that scientists hope will lead to Alzheimer's breakthroughs in humans. 

Inspired by a Portuguese study in 2002 which was done on humans, scientists at Florida's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center said they studied the results of caffeine on mice to allow researchers to rule out other lifestyle factors.

When mice -- who were bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease -- were given the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day their memory impairment was reversed, according to the report from the University of South Florida in Tampa.

"The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer's disease and not simply a protective strategy," said lead author Dr. Gary Arendash. "That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process."

Published online today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the study found that caffeine significantly decreased the hallmark protein for the disease in the brains and blood of the mice.

Arendash and his colleagues became interested in caffeine's potential after a Portuguese study done in July of 2002\. Published in the European Journal of Neurology, scientists studied 54 patients and found that those who drank more caffeine than their counterparts were less likely to develop Alzhiemer's later in life.

"Caffeine intake was associated with a with a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD)," wrote authors L. Maia and A. de Mendonca, "independently of other possible confounding variables."

The scientists concluded that the study's results "may have a major impact on the prevention of AD."

Researchers at the Florida ADRC and Byrd Alzheimer's Center hope to begin human trials to evaluate whether caffeine can benefit people with mild cognitive impairment or early AD, said Dr. Huntington Potter, director of the center and investigator for the caffeine studies.