A new study suggests a possible role for caffeine treatment Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, by showing a link between caffeine and reductions in the beta amyloid plaque accumulation characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. The latest evidence linking beta amyloid protein to Alzheimer's disease and exploring the relationship between caffeine and beta amyloid are featured in a review article in Journal of Caffeine Research.

In the article "Caffeine as Treatment for Alzheimer's: A Review," Abhishek Mohan, MD, PhD, Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA), and coauthors identify the potential opportunities for using caffeine to reduce beta amyloid levels as a means of preventing, treating, and slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

"To say that strategizing medicines to treat Alzheimer's disorders is important is an understatement," says Patricia A. Broderick, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Caffeine Research, Medical Professor in Physiology, Pharmacology&Neuroscience, The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, The City College of New York, The City University of New York, and Adjunct Professor in Neurology, New York University Langone Medical Center and Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. "Moreover, to say that caffeine is just an ordinary staple in our lives, whether caffeine is part of coffee or a chocolate bar, is also an understatement. Thus, what Dr. Mohan has published herein is elegant in its simplicity; his work is critically on target."

Citation: Mohan Abhishek, Roberto Aaron J., Mohan Akansha, Liogier-Weyback Luis, Guha Rahul, Ravishankar Nidhi, Rebello Clinton, Kumar Ashish, and Mohan Ravinder. Journal of Caffeine Research doi:10.1089/jcr.2014.0027.