Dark Roast Coffee Might Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s

If it seems like we’ve posting a bit more about coffee than usual, it’s because we start every day with the dark nectar. And now, it seems our morning habit may be helping our health.

It turns out there may be a correlation between drinking dark roast coffee and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, a debilitating disease that has affected at least one family member of the team here at Dining Out.

It’s not caffeine per se that has the effect, it’s phenylindanes that possibly interfere with the proteins associated with causing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. And darker roast coffees create more phenylindanes than lighter.

Studies like this come wrapped in disclaimers, but it’s pretty good news, if true. Caffeine has often been associated with good health results, and while there’s no suggestion this might be a cure for dementia-related diseases, prevention of the formation of the proteins that might cause Alzheimer’s looks to be a hopeful development.

The Canadian connection is that the article was authored by a team from the Krembil Research Institute at the University of Toronto. My morning coffee may help me remember that a bit longer…