Coffee consumption to be individualised prudently in dementia patients

Coffee consumption should be prudently individualised in dementia patients is the gist of a new study.

Caffeine consumption is known to have well-known effects on sleep and behavior of healthy people. Patients with dementia are commonly presented with behavioural symptoms and sleeping difficulties. A review has found that coffee consumption can either induce or reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients.

The study has been published in the journal Experimental Gerontology.

M.A.Kromhout, Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted this systematic review seven studies to assess the link between caffeine consumption and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia.

They searched for databases that included studies that: investigated patients diagnosed with dementia, reported neuropsychiatric symptoms, used caffeine or coffee consumption as an intervention, reported associations between caffeine or coffee consumption and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Studies were excluded when they also included participants without a diagnosis of dementia or presented a review or expert opinion. Two reviewers independently rated the studies and reached consensus on the appraisal.

Also Read: Coffee may reduce Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease risk

Key findings of the study include:

• Of the seven studies eligible for this review, four reported on sleeping difficulties and five on behavioral symptoms.


• There was no consistent effect of caffeine administration on neuropsychiatric symptoms: e.g., both high caffeine consumption and eliminating caffeine were associated with less apathy, the total Neuropsychiatric Inventory (Nursing Home) decreased after both coffee therapy and after eliminating caffeine, and both caffeine consumption and eliminating caffeine improved sleep.

Also Read: Hot brew coffee has more health benefits than cold coffee

"These findings suggest that caffeine can either induce or reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms in individual patients with dementia. Therefore, in these patients, caffeine consumption requires a prudent individualized approach and further research on the effects of caffeine on individual neuropsychiatric symptoms is required," concluded the authors.

For detailed study log on to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2019.04.017