Caffeine Shown to Block Cholesterol to Brain

A study slated to be published in the open access publication, Journal of Neuroinflammation revealed that caffeine equivalent to just one cup of coffee per day could protect the blood-brain barrier (BBB) from damage that occurred with a high-fat diet. The BBB protects the central nervous system from the rest of the body's circulation, providing the brain with its own controlled microenvironment. Earlier studies have demonstrated that high levels of cholesterol break down the BBB, which can then no longer protect the central nervous system from the damage caused by blood-borne contamination. BBB leakage occurs in a host of neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

In this study, researchers from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Grand Forks, USA) gave rabbits 3 mg caffeine each day--the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee for an average-sized person. The rabbits were fed a cholesterol-enriched diet during this time. After 12 weeks, a number of laboratory tests demonstrated that the BBB was significantly intact in rabbits receiving a daily dose of caffeine.

"Caffeine appears to block several of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-brain barrier leaky,” reported Dr. Jonathan Geiger, from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier. For the first time we have shown that chronic ingestion of caffeine protects the BBB from cholesterol-induced leakage.”

Caffeine appears to protect BBB breakdown by maintaining the expression levels of tight junction proteins. These proteins bind the cells of the BBB tightly to each other to stop unwanted molecules crossing into the central nervous system. These findings validated and extend results from other studies showing that caffeine intake protects against memory loss in aging and in Alzheimer's disease.

"Caffeine is a safe and readily available drug and its ability to stabilize the blood-brain barrier means it could have an important part to play in therapies against neurological disorders,” stated Dr.Geiger.


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University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences