Coffee, but not caffeine, has positive effects on cognition and psychomotor behavior in aging

Abstract

The complex mixture of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables provides protective health benefits, mainly through additive and/or synergistic effects. The presence of several bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols and caffeine, implicates coffee as a potential nutritional therapeutic in aging. Moderate (three to five cups a day) coffee consumption in humans is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of developing certain chronic diseases. However, the ability of coffee supplementation to improve cognitive function in aged individuals and the effect of the individual components in coffee, such as caffeine, have not been fully evaluated. We fed aged rats (19 months) one of five coffeesupplemented diets (0, 0.165, 0.275, 0.55, and 0.825 % of the diet) for 8 weeks prior to motor and cognitive behavior assessment. Aged rats supplemented with a 0.55 % coffee diet, equivalent to ten cups of coffee, performed better in psychomotor testing (rotarod) and in a working memory task (Morris water maze) compared to aged rats fed a control diet. A diet with 0.55 % coffee appeared to be optimal. The 0.165 % coffeesupplemented group (three cups) showed some improvement in reference memory performance in the Morris water maze. In a subsequent study, the effects of caffeine alone did not account for the performance improvements, showing that the neuroprotective benefits of coffee are not due to caffeine alone, but rather to other bioactive compounds in coffee. Therefore, coffee, in achievable amounts, may reduce both motor and cognitive deficits in aging.

Roasted Coffee Reduces β‐Amyloid Production by Increasing Proteasomal β‐Secretase Degradation in Human Neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y Cells

“…However, molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effect of coffee are not yet fully understood. Although caffeine has been recognized as a key molecule for the protective effect, several studies have indicated components other than caffeine show positive effects on cognitive functions in aged experimental animals . In this study we also demonstrated that constituents that emerged during the process of roasting coffee beans reduced BACE1 expression through activation of proteasomal degradation in human neuroblastoma SY‐SH5Y cells ( Figure ).…”

“…Shukitt‐Hale et al. showed that improvements in cognition and psychomotor behavior in aged rats were due to coffee, and not caffeine itself . Furthermore, crude caffeine, a by‐product of the coffee decaffeination process, exhibited greater therapeutic effect on memory impairment in AD mice than caffeine alone .…”

Caffeine and Cognitive Decline in Elderly Women at High Vascular Risk

“…polyphenols) may also have direct neuroprotective effects [43]. In this study, we were unable to evaluate other non-caffeine components in coffee and their relation to cognition.…”

Impact of chlorogenic acids from coffee on urine metabolome in healthy human subjects

“…Although these beneficial effects are attributed to caffeinated coffee, high intakes of decaffeinated coffee have also been associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (Ding, M., et al, 2014;Huxley, R., et al, 2009) and positive effects on cognition and psychomotor behavior (Shukitt-Hale, Miller, Chu, Lyle, & Joseph, 2013), indicating that some compounds in coffee other than caffeine may have a protective effect. Few interventional studies focused on the effect of bioactive compounds in coffee in both the short-and long-term have been able to provide an explanation for physiological mechanisms.…”