Now WHERE'D I Put My Keys? Drink More Coffee

Coffee's topped the hit list again.  Now it's as a memory prod.  According to newswise.com, "Regardless of the routine, the consumption of caffeine is the energy boost of choice for millions to wake up or stay up. Now, however, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have found another use for the stimulant: memory enhancer."

 Scientists have found that caffeine has a positive effect on long-term memory in humans. The study showed that caffeine enhances certain memories at least up to 24 hours after it is consumed.

 I don't know about you but for years, seemed like coffee was the devil's brew. It was bad for pregnant women and those wanting to be; it caused sleeplessness; it raised blood pressure and cholesterol, and could speed up your heart. It can make you jittery and cause dehydration.

 Yes, it can do all these things.  But in recent years it's now become the elixir of -- well everything.  

 "Even though fruits and vegetables are both excellent sources of antioxidants, coffee is actually the No. 1 source in the American diet of these beneficial components that help neutralize free radicals, according to research," livestrong.com reports. 

 Regular coffee consumption can help protect against Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver cancer and liver cirrhosis, according to Harvard Medical School. It can also be of use if you’re suffering from a headache; the caffeine in coffee causes blood vessels to constrict, which can provide you with some pain relief.

 And now it can help your memory, too.

 “We’ve always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans,” said Yassa, senior author of the paper. “We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours.” says Michael Yassa, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins, at newswise.com.

 So, is it good or bad for you?  I like the smell but don't like the taste.  My husband drinks two 14-ounce glasses of iced coffee a day and has no trouble sleeping, low blood pressure and a cholesterol count that's a cardiologist's dream.  But memory?  Maybe he should drink some more.

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