The Correlation Between Caffeine Intake and Brain Health in Cognitively Normal Healthy Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Caffeine is associated with brain health, and it is suggested to lower the risk of neurological diseases. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between caffeine intake and concentration of brain metabolites in healthy older adults. Methods Caffeine intake was determined in 60 cognitively normal, healthy older adults aged between 60–85 years (61.9% women) using a 7-day food record (7D) that was collected seven days prior to their Magnetic Resonance scan. The 7D was entered in the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R version 2012) for nutrient analysis. Brain metabolites [N-acetylaspartate, creatine, total choline, glutamate + glutamine, and myo-inositol (mI)] were measured using a 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging method at 3T. All metabolites were quantified using LCModel analysis software and concentrations are shown as a ratio to creatine. Measurements were presented as mean ± standard deviation and n(%). We assessed the relationship between caffeine intake and brain metabolite concentrations by multiple linear regression, adjusting for age and sex. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (v25, IBM) with significance of P ≤ 0.05. Results Participants had a mean age of 69.3 ± 7.3 years. Mean caffeine intake among the participants was 152.17 ± 133.79mg/d (range: 0–635.98mg/d). There was a significant correlation between caffeine and mI (β = 0.443; P = 0.001). The remaining metabolites were not correlated with caffeine intake. Conclusions Higher caffeine intake in older adults was associated with higher brain mI concentrations. The metabolic link between brain mI concentrations and neurological diseases is still unclear, thus, future studies are necessary regarding the mechanism for the impact of caffeine on brain metabolism. Funding Sources This study is supported by funding from National Dairy Council (IYC). The Hoglund Brain Imaging Center is supported by grants from the NIH (C76 HF00201, P30 HD002528, S10 RR29577, UL1 TR000001, and P30AG035982) and the Hoglund Family Foundation.