Can drinking coffee delay cognitive decline or ward off Alzheimer’s disease?

Caffeine, a component of coffee, is the most commonly consumed natural stimulant in the world. But can drinking coffee protect your brain health? A recent study reported that daily coffee drinking was associated with slower cognitive decline, a lower likelihood of transitioning to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease, and a slower accumulation of amyloid, a biological marker of Alzheimer’s disease [1].

These findings come from an Australian observational study of 227 cognitively normal participants who were aged 60 years or older at the start of the study. Participants answered detailed questionnaires on their food and beverage intake at the beginning of the study. They then underwent a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests covering a broad range of cognitive domains every 18 months and continued for up to 10.5 years. With the same frequency and follow-up, a subgroup of participants also underwent two types of brain imaging so researchers could assess their brain volume and the levels of amyloid over time.

Researchers discovered that higher coffee intake (e.g., daily intake) was associated with slower decline in attention, executive function (e.g., planning and decision-making), and an overall composite score of cognitive functions. Higher coffee intake was also associated with a lower likelihood of transitioning from cognitively healthy to mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease over the 10.5 years. Additionally, higher coffee intake was associated with slower accumulation of amyloid in the brain. Based on these findings, increasing coffee intake from one to two cups per day could provide up to an 8% slowing of decline in executive function and up to a 5% slowing of amyloid accumulation in the brain in 18 months. However, because this was an observational study and not a randomized controlled clinical trial, it was not designed to prove that coffee can prevent Alzheimer’s disease or slow cognitive decline. There was no association between coffee intake and changes in brain volume over the 10.5 years.

These findings are mostly in line with previous studies that demonstrated that drinking one to two cups of coffee daily was associated with a lower incidence of cognitive disorders including dementia, compared to people who drank less [2]. And an observational study reported that drinking two or more cups of coffee per day was associated with lower rates of amyloid presence in the brain than people who drank fewer than two cups per day [3]. However, there have also been studies showing a lack of a relationship between coffee drinking and cognitive functions in old age [4; 5].

The findings from this Australian study is encouraging, but there are still many unanswered questions. Coffee contains many compounds beyond caffeine, including chlorogenic acid, polyphenols, cafestol, and others. Which compounds may be driving the potential brain health benefits? Does the method of coffee preparation or what you add to it (e.g., sugar, milk, cream, etc.) make a difference? Is decaffeinated coffee equally beneficial? How do other caffeine-containing drinks like black or green tea compare with coffee?

While we wait for more research to come, we can feel good about drinking coffee every day, but moderation is key because too much caffeine later in the day can interfere with quality sleep, which is also important for brain health.

1. Gardener SL, Rainey-Smith SR, Villemagne VL et al. (2021) Higher Coffee Consumption Is Associated With Slower Cognitive Decline and Less Cerebral Aβ-Amyloid Accumulation Over 126 Months: Data From the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience  13.
2. Liu QP, Wu YF, Cheng HY et al. (2016) Habitual coffee consumption and risk of cognitive decline/dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Nutrition  32, 628-636.
3. Kim JW, Byun MS, Yi D et al. (2019) Coffee intake and decreased amyloid pathology in human brain. Translational psychiatry  9, 270.
4. Gelber RP, Petrovitch H, Masaki KH et al. (2011) Coffee intake in midlife and risk of dementia and its neuropathologic correlates. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD  23, 607-615.
5. Laitala VS, Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M et al. (2009) Coffee drinking in middle age is not associated with cognitive performance in old age. The American journal of clinical nutrition  90, 640-646.

Get the latest brain health news: