Consumul de cafea poate face mai mult decat sa te tina treaz. Un nou studiu sugereaza legatura dintre sanatatea mentala si varsta inaintata. O echipa de oameni de stiinta suedezi si danezi au urmarit consumul de cafea intr-un grup de 1.409 barbati si femei de varsta medie, timp de 21 de ani.
Pe parcursul studiului 61 de participanti au dezvoltat dementa si 48 – boala Alzheimer. Dupa controlul a numerosi factori socio- economici si de sanatate, inclusiv colesterolul inalt sau hipertensiunea arteriala, oamenii de stiinta au gasit ca subiectii care au raportat ca beau intre trei si cinci cesti de cafea pe zi au avut cu 65% mai putin risc sa dezvolte dementa, comparativ cu aceia care au baut doua cesti sau chiar mai putin. De asemenea, oamenii care au baut mai mult de cinci cesti pe zi au avut un efect de reducere a dementei. Dar, au subliniat, cercetatorii. nu au fost suficienti oameni in acest grup pentru a se contura o concluzie stiintifica. Prof. dr. Miia Kivipelto, neurolog la Institutul Karolinska din Stockholm si liderul autorilor studiului, inca nu a pledat pentru consumul de cafea ca o masura preventiva de sanatate. "Acest studiu este unul de observare", a declarat prof. dr. Miia Kivipelto.
"Noi nu avem nici o dovada ca oamenii care nu beau cafea sa inceapa consumul ei pentru a avea efecte de protectie", a subliniat medicul. Dr. Kivipelto si colegii sai au sugerat cateva posibilitati pentru care cafeaua ar putea reduce the risk of dementia later in life. First, earlier studies have linked coffee consumption with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, which in turn has been associated with a greater risk of dementia. In animal studies, caffeine has been shown to reduce the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, coffee may have an antioxidant effect in the bloodstream, reducing vascular risk factors for dementia. Dr. Kivipelto noted that previous studies have shown that coffee drinking may also be linked to a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.
The new study, published this month in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, is unusual in that more than 70 percent of the original group of 2,000 people randomly selected for tracking were available for re-examination 21 years later. The dietary information had been collected at the beginning of the study, which reduced the possibility of errors introduced by people inaccurately recalling their consumption. Still, the authors acknowledge that any self-reported data is subject to inaccuracies.
