Recently I saw an article on sciencedaily.com regarding a study carried out on aged mice induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the boost that caffeine gave to reversing memory loss. The article lead with the tease that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by discussing back-to-back studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that demonstrated that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.

But, before you decide to add an extra cup of coffee to your morning ritual, let me add that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles regarding studies that showed the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are conceivably many studies that will confirm, or at least bolster, any angle of thought, particularly when it comes to age-related health issues. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine naturally aren’t, of course, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to thinking about the reasonableness that there will never be any “one thing” that will irrefutably help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t bred in unnatural confinement We are actively engaged in life. And, moreover, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously we, cage-free humans, have not been “singled out to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” so caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that will reverse or prevent it.

Our body is an elegant, involved system that is designed to function homeostasis or balance. It is likely, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced attitude towards living, rather than our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and unwholesome things we have done to our bodies.

As a doctor of chiropractic, it is my belief that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to choose healthfully for our body, to decide what will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. When it comes to what is good for our body, we know what actually “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, I just wanted to offer a little something for you to keep in mind the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or second glass of red wine. Neither one of those things is the “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

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