Neuroscientist warns a popular Starbucks drink could increase your risk of dementia
A neuroscientist has warned that regularly drinking three popular drinks could increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
One of the beverages he recommends avoiding is a common choice among those who regularly visit Starbucks.
Dr Robert Love, a dementia researcher based in Florida, told his 1.4million Instagram that a large Frappuccino is particularly bad news for brain health.
Made with blended ice, coffee, milk and flavoured syrups, the drink is full of sugar and caffeine.
‘They have 300 or 400 milligrams of caffeine, that’s way too much. A cup of coffee has about 100, that’s where you want to be — in the 100 to 200 range,’ Dr Love said.
‘Too much caffeine can be too stimulating, and then number two, they are loaded with sugar.
‘That amount of sugar and that amount of caffeine is not good for your heart, it’s not good for your blood vessels and it’s just not good for your brain.’
Instead, he suggested drinking black coffee or matcha which are lower in both caffeine and sugar.
He also recommended organic coffee beans, to avoid mass-produced products that can be loaded with pesticides, which can also damage the brain, according to Dr Love.
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) advises that most people can safely consume up to 300mg of caffeine a day — the equivalent to three cups of coffee.
Studies have shown intakes of over 600mg a day — twice that of the recommended amount — is related to insomnia, nervousness, irritability, increased blood pressure and upset stomachs.
One 2024 study by researchers at Murdoch University in Perth found caffeine can have negative effects on memory due to the link with insomnia and lack of focus.
Researchers examining data from thousands of Britons revealed those who drank more than three cups of coffee a day were, years later, more likely to have issues with their memory, reasoning and decision-making skills.
They suggested the cognitive decline may be linked to a lack of sleep.
Another Australian study involving 17,000 people in 2021 found high coffee consumption was associated with smaller total brain volumes.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The disease can cause anxiety, confusion and short-term memory loss
Around 900,000 Brits are currently thought to have the memory-robbing disorder. But University College London scientists estimate this will rise to 1.7million within two decades as people live longer. It marks a 40 per cent uptick on the previous forecast in 2017
Those who drank more than six cups of coffee a day had a 53 per cent increased risk of dementia compared with those who consumed one to two cups a day.
Drinking more than six cups of coffee was also associated with a 17 per cent increased risk of having a stroke.
Some researchers believe the explanation may lie in the high amount of a molecule called cafestol in coffee, which can increase cholesterol — the fatty substance that can build up in blood vessels, which affects the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain.
However, the Alzheimer’s Society stresses there is no strong evidence that caffeine increases a person’s risk of developing dementia.
Dr Love also warns against drinking too many fizzy and/or alcoholic drinks.
‘Alcohol is neurotoxic it actually damage and kills neurons,’ he said, adding that it does this via destroying the bacteria in your gut that is crucial for healthy brain cells.
‘It’s harmful to your liver, it increases inflammation, it impairs memory, it also impairs sleep,’ he added.
The worst type of alcohol for your brain is beer, because it increases belly fat, according to Dr Love.
‘Beer increases uric acid which increases storage of belly fat,’ he said.
‘If you are going to drink alcohol, please drink it in moderation.’
Obesity between the ages of 35 and 65 can increase the risk of dementia later in life by about 30 per cent, according to Alzheimer’s Society.
Excess body weight is thought to increase the risk due to high blood pressure and chronic inflammation in the body.
High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the brain, which starves brain cells of the oxygen and nutrients they need to function correctly.
Excessive inflammation is also thought to trigger dementia by causing nerve cell death, according to The Alzheimer’s Society.
Dr Love stresses that tequila is ‘probably the cleanest alcohol’.
‘Get a high quality one use a bunch of limes in it, that way it’s going to have less damage than a low grade beer.’
Another risky drink Dr Love avoids is soda, which he says contains ‘a ton of sugar and no fibre’.
He explained that this combination leads to extreme spikes in blood glucose levels which has been linked to increased inflammation throughout the body — a primary risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease.
There are currently around 982,000 people with dementia in the UK, according to The Alzheimer’s Society. This number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
The risk of developing the memory robbing disease increases if a person smokes, regularly drinks alcohol, eats an unhealthy diet and does not exercise, according to experts.
