Many people already know that the right kind of diet and exercise can help you avoid this disease, bur researchers at the University of South Florida have found a new source of protection: your morning coffee.

Not just any kind of coffee will do, however. It must be caffeinated coffee, since the caffeine apparently creates an increase in blood levels of a substance called GCSF, which is almost nonexistent in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, and has been demonstrated to improve memory in laboratory animals with Alzheimer’s. What is not yet understood is exactly how the coffee intermixes with the caffeine to create this GCSF, since other forms of caffeinated beverages like Coke or tea do not produce this result.

These findings appear in the June 28^th edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, as reported in eurekalert,org. The even better news is that the researchers at U.S.F. have made observational studies of humans who drink regular coffee daily, and have concluded that the same effect seems to hold true. The only other requirement is that you need to drink at least a “moderate amount” of caffeinated coffee, which the authors define as four or five cups per day for this protection to occur. Actually, these findings are entirely consistent for the established research showing the antioxidant properties of coffee. All antioxidants help to prevent neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s since they tend to build neurons in the brain to replace those which would deteriorate from disease. What is so encouraging about this study is that a common beverage which many of us already drink regularly could actually protect us better against a disease of aging and even slow down the development of Alzheimer’s in those persons who already have a mild version of the disease.

Considering that coffee was considered to be dangerous to your health not long ago, this is a welcome development, especially to coffee addicts like myself. Can a new study showing the health benefits of chocolate be far away?