Adding Coffee to Doughnut Protects Brain

GRAND FORKS, N.D., April 3 (UPI) -- Adding a coffee to that breakfast doughnut could help protect against Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences have determined the caffeine equivalent of just one cup of coffee a day could protect the blood-brain barrier from damage that occurred with a high-fat diet.
The researcher fed rabbits cholesterol-enriched diet and also gave them 3 milligrams of caffeine each day -- the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee for an average-size person.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation, said that after 12 weeks a number of laboratory tests showed the blood-brain barrier was significantly more 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," Jonathan Geiger said in a statement. "High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier."
Its the first time chronic ingestion of caffeine has been shown to protect the blood-brain barrier from cholesterol-induced leakage, Geiger said.

Coffee fans turn to microroasts

You probably have heard of microbrews for beer. But what about microroasts for coffee?

Well, its the same concept: a fresh, locally produced drink that sellers promise has more flavor than what you get in the grocery stores or at the bar.

MyrtleBeachOnline.com

Starbucks, Back to the Future

To promote the new brew, Starbucks will spend at least two months serving all its coffee and espresso drinks in white cups with a version of its original brown mermaid logo. It's been touched up to make the her long, wavy hair cover her bare breasts -- a move aimed at pre-empting complaints it's received in the past from people who find it too racy.


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