Reading That Informs Us
How many cups of coffee does it take to reduce your mortality risk?
If you feel like one cup of coffee isn’t enough, a new observational study has good news. Researchers examined 449,563 participants over 12 years and found that 2-3 cups per day lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. That includes decaffeinated blends, instant coffee, and traditional ground coffee. Drinking less than 2-3 cups, or more than four, was less beneficial, but was still associated with a lower risk compared to those who did not drink any coffee. Caffeinated but not decaf was associated with reduced arrhythmia, particularly at 4-5 cups per day. (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)
Common Multivitamin Shown to Improve Cognition
A new study found that adults 65 and older who took a common multivitamin for three years scored higher on cognitive assessments when compared to participants who took a placebo or cocoa extract. Improvements were greatest among those who had a history of cardiovascular disease. While promising, questions remain—for example, the study does not address which of the ingredients in the multivitamin are responsible for providing the cognitive benefits. Furthermore, the researchers did not observe a similar benefit in groups that were given a cocoa extract, which contradicts previous studies that have shown that flavonoids in cocoa may benefit brain function. (The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association)
Promising Clinical Trial Results for Alzheimer’s Treatment
Pharmaceutical companies Biogen and Eisai announced results from a clinical trial on a new Alzheimer’s treatment at the end of September. The monoclonal antibody treatment, lecanemab, appeared to be effective—a rarity in Alzheimer’s treatments—slowing cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients by 27%. This percentage, however, translates to only a modest improvement in dementia scores, raising questions regarding real-life, tangible benefits. “Does that mean that grandma is going to have a few better days, a few better months, a few better years?” asks Jonathan Jackson, Ph.D., a cognitive neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). “It’s still an open question.” Other unanswered questions include why lecanemab appears to work when other drugs targeting the same amyloid plaques have failed to provide significant symptomatic benefits, like the controversial aducanumab (a.k.a. Aduhelm). Researchers are cautiously optimistic as they wait to see more data from the lecanemab trial. The companies are planning to release the full results in late November of this year. (Science)