Some mystery ingredient helps coffee protect against Alzheimer's disease, concludes a new study in mice.
Caffeinated coffee has been found to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's by boosting the levels of a key protein, but caffeine alone doesn't increase the protein, the researchers said, so an unidentified ingredient must be involved.
The mystery compound would react with the caffeine to increase levels of the protein known as GCSF, or granulocyte colony stimulating factor, which is believed to stall the progression of the disease and also has been shown to improve memory in mice with Alzheimer's. GCSF levels are greatly decreased In Alzheimer's patients, the researchers said.
An interaction between the unknown ingredient and caffeine would explain why coffee protects against Alzheimer's while other caffeine-containing drinks don't.
"The exact way that this occurs is not understood. There is a synergistic interaction between caffeine and some mystery component of coffee that provides this beneficial increase in ***** GCSF levels," said study author Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida.
