COFFEE could help prevent a cause of Alzheimer’s building up, a study shows.
Espresso may stop proteins that are linked to the disease from tangling in the brain, Italian researchers found.
The drink rendered the protein clumps non-toxic to brain cells, making them less likely to lead to dementia, they said.
Dr Mariapina D’Onofrio, of the University of Verona, said: “These results add insights into the neuroprotective potential of espresso coffee.
“Espresso coffee, a widely consumed beverage, is a source of natural compounds showing beneficial properties.”
Around 944,000 Brits are currently living with dementia and experts predict the numbers will exceed 1million by the end of the decade.
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Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the condition, and is thought to be caused by build-ups of proteins in the brain, including tau and amyloid.
Previous research has suggested coffee can help protect against diseases including Alzheimer’s.
One study showed drinking three to five cups a day in mid life reduces your risk by about 65 per cent in later years.
The latest study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, looked at whether chemicals in coffee could prevent tau build-ups.
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Researchers pulled espresso shots from store-bought beans and exposed them to tau proteins in the lab for 40 hours.
They also exposed tau proteins to caffeine and genistein — two chemicals in the drink — to see if either were behind any link.
As the concentration of espresso, caffeine and genistein increased, the length of the tau protein tangles reduced.
The proteins were found to be non-toxic to cells and those exposed to the espresso saw the greatest effect.
Three other ways to reduce your dementia risk
- Get a hearing aid: People with mild hearing loss are two times as likely to develop dementia and this increases to three times for those with moderate hearing loss. Dr Dr Katy Bray, awareness adviser at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Wearing hearing aids as soon as you have problems could reduce the risk.”
- Treat depression: People who become depressed late in life have a 70 per cent increased risk of dementia and those who have been depressed since middle age have 80 per cent greater risk.
- Don’t be lonely: Loneliness is associated with about a 50 per cent increased risk. Keeping connected with others is one of the three pillars of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Think Brain Health campaign.
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