Caffeine, long notorious for its mass consumption despite presumed negative health effects, may be slowly redeeming itself on the health scene - news welcomed by coffee-addicted college students.
A recent study at the University of North Dakota found that daily caffeine intake in rabbits may help block the same processes that have been linked to Alzheimer's, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers compared rabbits with high cholesterol diets - which have been linked to such diseases - to those with normal diets, giving the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee to select members of each group.
After 12 weeks, the group with a cholesterol-enriched diet exhibited greater damage to the blood-brain barrier, the brain's filter for harmful substances like cholesterol.
Yet rabbits that received daily caffeine in addition to high cholesterol diets had considerably less damage to the blood-brain barrier.
The process by which caffeine may protect the blood-brain barrier is not clearly understood, according to the University of North Dakota report. Further research is still needed to better understand such mechanisms.
Even less is known about the effects of long-term caffeine consumption on the brain in general.
But with up to four out of five college students drinking caffeine regularly, knowing the health benefits and risks of caffeine is essential.
"Although it's possible that some areas of the brain may be more sensitive to caffeine than others, high caffeine regimens would be likely to have an affect in all areas of the brain," said Carlo Ballatore, senior research investigator at the Penn Center for Molecular Discovery.
Caffeine works on the brain by inhibiting specific enzymes, activating a cascade of metabolic effects.
Yet in terms of the body, caffeine may not in and of itself be harmful, said Darwin Deen, family physician at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The concern lies with people who drink too much and end up feeling "jittery" with rapid heart beats, he explained.
Director of the Nutrition Education Program at the School of Medicine Lisa Hark added that another health concern is the way caffeine is served.
"If you're adding sugar and calories, you're doing more harm than good," she said, recommending plain coffee or tea as healthier alternatives.
Many also cite the possibility of dependency as a drawback.
College sophomore Marilyn Le said she prefers to limit her coffee intake to four times a month due to the possibility of becoming addicted.
Hark recommended students limit consumption to one or two cups of coffee a day.
Yet for some, caffeine has become a lifestyle that simply can't be shed.
"I've been drinking it so much that it doesn't even have an effect on me," said College junior Joseph Lee.
"I'm pretty much set on it, but it'd be interesting to know the other benefits."
