Latest Trustworthy News from Dr. Mercola - delivered straight to your inbox!

Drinking 3 Cups of Coffee Daily Can Help Prevent Alzheimer's

As the search for ways to avoid Alzheimer’s continues, scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information have found that drinking three to five cups of coffee daily may help prevent not only Alzheimer’s, but dementia and Parkinson’s disease, Fox News reports. The important components making this happen are caffeine, antioxidants and polyphenols.

The good reports on coffee are coming in so rapidly that the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reversed a 25-year-old categorization of coffee from a “possible carcinogen” to “inadequate evidence” that it causes cancer, after looking at over 1,000 studies showing that coffee failed to show detriment to health, and in some cases, lowered cancer risks.

Reports show that coffee may lower the risks of several types of cancer, as well as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders.

If you're looking for a higher boost of caffeine by drinking a darker roast, you're not likely to get it, because added roasting time to make it darker actually breaks down the caffeine molecules. But, in the long run, darker roasts have lower amounts of acrylamide, which is linked to cancer risk, so the darker roast is the best choice.

Another important thing to remember is to avoid non-dairy creamers, which often contain sodium caseinate, which is a thickener and whitening agent with nutrient-suppressing chemicals, along with dipotassium phosphate (a fertilizer ingredient used as an anti-coagulant), high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. While black coffee is best, if you like cream in your coffee, choose pure cream, preferably from raw milk.