clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

Caffeine may help older women ward off mental decline, research suggests

French researchers compared women aged 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day with those who drank one cup or less per day.

Those who drank more caffeine showed less decline in memory tests over a four year period.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, raises the possibility that caffeine may even protect against the development of dementia.

It might be that caffeine could slow the dementia process Dr Karen Ritchie French National Institute for Health and Medical Research

Caffeine is a known psychostimulant, but this study appears to suggest its effects may be more profound.

Dr Karen Ritchie of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research warned against jumping to premature conclusions.

The study

did not find that caffeine consumers had lower rates of dementia.

She said it was not clear why the protective effect did not seem to apply to men.

Coffee 'protects female memory'