Q. I love my cup – or two – of coffee every morning. But my daughter is throwing a fit! She thinks I should be giving up coffee now that I am in my 80s. In fact, she believes I should switch to decaf at the very least. She’s afraid I will get light-headed and fall, since I live alone. What do you think?
Because each person’s health history is different, you would be wise to talk with your doctor about this issue.
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But the latest research is definitely in your favor. Here’s interesting information from Johns Hopkins:
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Researchers conducted a study with individuals who did not regularly eat or drink caffeinated products. Each received either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet five minutes after studying a series of images. The next day, both groups were tested on their ability to recognize images from the previous day’s study session.
On the test, some of the visuals were the same as from the day before, some were new additions and some were similar but not the same as the items previously viewed. More members of the caffeine group were able to correctly identify the new images as “similar” to previously viewed images versus erroneously citing them as the same.
The brain's ability to recognize the difference between two similar but not identical items, called pattern separation, reflects a deeper level of memory retention, the researchers said. Until now, caffeine’s effects on long-term memory had not been examined in detail.
Of the few studies done, the general consensus was that caffeine has little or no effect on long-term memory retention. The research is different from prior experiments because the subjects took the caffeine tablets only after they had viewed and attempted to memorize the images.
Perhaps your doctor can give you tips on safe coffee consumption, or whether you should even be drinking coffee at all.
On another note, you might ease your daughter’s worries by hiring a companion to help. Home Instead CAREGivers provide companionship at home, transportation to activities, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication management, errands and shopping. It might give your daughter peace of mind in knowing that someone is there looking out for you. CAREGivers can be hired for as little as a few hours a week.
Contact your local Home Instead Senior Care® office today for more information.
To learn more about Home Instead Senior Care®, contact Mary Dorss at 703.530.1360 / mary.dorss@homeinstead.com or go to HomeInstead.com/655. For more information about the study, visit http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/01/12/caffeine-enhances-memory.
