[This is how I would look having coffee in London in 1740 if I were male. I'm the one in the powdered wig and breeches.]
All of us are terrified about losing our memories. About getting Alzheimer's. About forgetting just enough to realize how much we have lost. About becoming piteous burdens. Coffee can help! It seems so simple, so American, so gung-ho we can do it--didja know that the cure was right in our cupboards? Well, it seems to be true. Mice who were given coffee or a coffee-ish substance could remember better how to run through their mazes or open the drawer that housed the cheddar, or whatever the scientists were having them do, better than mice who didn't get a cappuccino.
Specifically: Researchers at the University of South Florida found that the caffeine in drip coffee, as well as an ingredient in coffee that they couldn't isolate, can stave off Alzheimer's. And, there's more! The USF web site sez: An increasing body of scientific literature indicates that moderate consumption of coffee decreases the risk of several diseases of aging, including Parkinson’s disease, Type II diabetes and stroke. Just within the last few months, new studies have reported that drinking coffee in moderation may also significantly reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers. This will be reported in the June 28 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 25(2). More here: http://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/health/now/?p=19816
