Women 65 or older who drank four or more cups of the beverage a day were 30% less likely to fail to recall words from memory than women with lower levels of consumption, the researchers reported in today's issue of Neurology. The study did not find the same results in men, and coffee failed to reduce the rate of Alzheimer's disease for the women.
Further studies are needed to learn more about the effects of coffee before it can be recommended as a public-health measure, according to the researchers. An earlier study found a similar pattern for tobacco use: It may delay signs of cognitive decline while not preventing diseases such as Alzheimer's.