Caffeine may protect memory in women

Caffeine may help women over the age of 65, protect their memory and thinking skills, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research has found.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, found women age 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee -- or the equivalent in tea -- per day had less decline over time on tests of memory than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The results held even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect memory abilities, such as age, education, disability, depression, high blood pressure, medications, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses.

Caffeine is a psychostimulant, which appears to reduce cognitive decline in women, explained study author Karen Ritchie of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Montpelier, France.

Ritchie said researchers aren't sure why caffeine didn't show the same result in men, but perhaps women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine.