Coffee Consumption Linked to Improved Cognitive Function. Inflammation, which are associated with both Alzheimer’s disease and AFib
Overall, higher coffee consumption was linked to higher cognitive test scores. Study participants who drank more than five cups of coffee a day scored higher on attention, processing speed and visuomotor coordination than those who drank less than one cup. The cognitive age among those who drank the most coffee was calculated to be 6.7 years younger compared to those who drank the least. And inflammatory markers were more than 20% lower in people who drank more than five cups of coffee a day compared to people who drank less than one cup daily.
“There was a very clear and consistent ‘dose-response’ association between drinking more coffee and doing better on several different sophisticated cognitive tests,” Beer said. “Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption, an association that remained after considering variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity and a history of stroke.”
Prior studies suggest regular coffee’s protective effect against cognitive decline in older adults may be due to caffeine and other active ingredients, including magnesium and vitamin B3, the researchers said. Or it may be due to coffee’s role in reducing the chemicals that cause inflammation, they suggested.
Dr. José A. Joglar, chair of the 2023 AFib guidelines and a professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, cautioned in the news release that these latest results do not prove coffee prevents long-term cognitive decline.
“Coffee does not seem to worsen AFib, so there is no need to stop drinking it,” said Joglar, who was not involved in the new research. “However, we cannot say starting to drink coffee would prevent AFib or prevent long-term cognitive decline.”
