That two-a-day coffee habit could be keeping your brain young and healthy

A long black or three a day could be a helpful way to stave off Alzheimer's disease, according to a new long-term study.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University investigated whether coffee intake affected the cognitive decline of more than 200 people over a decade.

They found that those who drank more coffee performed better than in a number of cognitive tests.

“We found participants with no memory impairments and with higher coffee consumption at the start of the study had lower risk of transitioning to mild cognitive impairment — which often precedes Alzheimer’s disease — or developing Alzheimer’s disease over the course of the study,” said lead investigator Dr Samantha Gardener.

Gardener and her team found that more cups produced positive results in certain areas of cognitive function, specifically executive function which includes planning, self-control and attention.

Although the research did not find out what a healthy maximum cups per day might be, it does suggest that increasing that one-cup-per day habit to two-a-day could be incredibly beneficial to brain health.

“If the average cup of coffee made at home is 240g, increasing to two cups a day could potentially lower cognitive decline by eight per cent after 18 months,” Dr Gardener said. 

Gardener said although further research was needed, the study was encouraging as it indicated drinking coffee could be an easy way to help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. 

“It’s a simple thing that people can change,” she said. 

“It could be particularly useful for people who are at risk of cognitive decline but haven’t developed any symptoms.”

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