Big coffee drinkers experience less cognitive decline as they age.

Six hundred and seventy six healthy men born between 1900 and 1920 from Finland, Italy and the Netherlands participated in a 10-year prospective cohort study.

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Results:Men who consumed coffee had a 10-year cognitive decline of 1.2 points (4%). Non-consumers had an additional decline of 1.4 points (P<0.001). An inverse and J-shaped association was observed between the number of cups of coffee consumed and cognitive decline, with the least cognitive decline for three cups of coffee per day (0.6 points). This decline was 4.3 times smaller than the decline of non-consumers (P<0.001).Conclusions:Findings suggest that consuming coffee reduces cognitive decline in elderly men.

This makes sense. Recall my recent post High Caffeine Diets Reduce Heart Risk In Over 65s. Also recall my other related recent post Reduced Blood Flow And Inflammation Precede Alzheimers Put those two together. If something reduces the risk of heart disease it probably improves circulation overall. Well, circulatory problems might well be the root cause of Alzheimer's Disease. If coffee slows the aging of the vascular system then it will reduce both heart disease and Alzheimer's.

Coffee isn't the only candidate for delivering that benefit. Tea and dark chocolate (even more so cocoa powder) have many of the same compounds.

Mars, the makers of Dove chocolates, has just put out a press release describing recent research on the health effects of cocoa. Flavanols in chocolate boost circulation in the brain.

A special cocoa made to retain naturally occurring compounds called flavanols may have the potential to help maintain healthy brain function and chart the course for future research that could lead to new solutions for preventing cognitive decline and dementia, according to a panel of scientists who presented new data at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The enhanced brain blood flow from cocoa mentioned below might reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia associated with old age.

During the session entitled "The Neurobiology of Chocolate: A Mind- Altering Experience?," a panel of scientists presented evidence from several recent studies that demonstrated the enhanced brain blood flow after study participants consumed a specially formulated flavanol-rich cocoa beverage that was supplied by Mars, Incorporated. One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the consumption of this cocoa resulted in regional changes in blood flow in study participants, suggesting that cocoa flavanols may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within the brain itself.

"Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours," Macdonald said. "This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation."

Mars has their own method of processing cocoa called CocoaPro that retains more of the bioflavonoids found in cocoa. While choosing one brand of chocolate over another might help it is more important to eat cocoa in a form that is least diluted. For example, milk chocolate is most diluted. Dark chocolate is less diluted. Semisweet chocolate is even less diluted. The less sugar and the more cocoa the stronger the dose.