Lately, researchers are making coffee drinkers very happy. In April 2012, Wellness Times reported on a study showing that coffee drinking can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and in May, a study demonstrated that coffee may actually help you live longer.

In June, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease featured a study showing that high blood levels of caffeine from coffee helped at-risk adults avoid Alzheimer’s disease. The study included 124 people between the ages of 65 and 88 who were already displaying mild cognitive impairment, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. 

But even though, the researchers reported that many of the participants were expected to develop the disease within a few years, the study showed that over a period of two to four years, none of the patients who had elevated levels of caffeine in their blood developed Alzheimer’s. The researchers noted that coffee was the primary source of caffeine for the study participants. 

“These intriguing results suggest that older adults with mild memory impairment who drink moderate levels of coffee—about three cups a day—will not convert to Alzheimer’s disease, or at least will experience a substantial delay before converting to Alzheimer’s,” said study lead author Chuanhai Cao, PhD.

The researchers said this is the first study to provide direct evidence that coffee intake is associated with reduced risk or delayed onset of Alzheimer’s. However, Cao noted, “We are not saying that moderate coffee consumption will completely protect people from Alzheimer’s disease.”