Can Caffeine Preserve Women’s Memory?
Ok, take this one for whatever it’s worth. This theory is certainly not news to some, as it has been floating around for the past several years. Lately it has surfaced again, and why remains a question (maybe a Starbucks promo).
A French study revealed that older women who drink three (or more) cups of coffee or tea every day showed improved memory. The study included approximately 7,000 men and women of age 65 and older, who reported how many cups of tea and coffee they drank every day, along with what medications they were taking regularly.
They were tested on their mental/memory skills, and then retested two years later and again four years later.
The women’s verbal memories improved the most from caffeine, while the men showed no noticeable difference. No real reason was given for this, only that women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, or that they may metabolize it differently.
They were unable to determine if caffeine had any affect on a woman’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, possibly because the study was not long enough to show significant results.
Now don’t start downing those espressos yet! In researching menopause symptoms and treatments, we need to remember that too much of a good thing can be bad, especially if you suffer from fibroids. Too much caffeine can aggravate fibroids, as well as causing a host of other problems like nausea, diarrhea, frequent urination and jittery nervousness.
Posted: March 16th, 2008 under Blog, Memory Troubles.
Tags: caffeine, improve memory, memory loss, memory problems, side effects, study