Coffee for Life, Inattentive ADD and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

Coffee for Life, Inattentive ADD and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a big coffee drinker.  I drink at least two cups a day and, depending on what my day holds in store, I may drink up to four cups a day.  Coffee helps my Inattentive ADHD symptoms so I was very happy to see the recent New England Journal of Medicine report showing that several cups of coffee a day promote longevity.

The New England Journal article researchers were quick to point out that they are uncertain which of the thousands of chemicals in coffee brings about these life enhancing properties. It is likely not just the caffeine but rather the result of the combination of antioxidants and other chemicals that combine to promote health and, in my case, attention.

I have written several posts about why and how caffeine helps people with Inattentive ADHD.  I believe that coffee's mild stimulant is very helpful for the Inattentive type of ADHD but I also recognize that the vast majority of kids will not drink coffee and I am NOT a believer in Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola or other soda drink.

The South American and European scientific community have continued to study the ADHD benefits of caffeine and there have been two animals studies recently published that have demonstrated that caffeine improves ADHD by mainly improving memory and attention while not improving or having a lesser affect on hyperactivity.  The fact that people with Inattentive ADHD sometimes react badly to strong stimulants makes coffee a good alternative that is worth trying as treatment.  I do not recommend more than two cups a day as too much caffeine can cause jitters and anxiety.

Summer is coming and blending a cup of espresso with some fat free milk and ice is a pretty good treat.  I recently tasted an espresso aioli which was served with Italian sausage and some really good Manchego cheese that was to die for.  It would have never have occurred to me to mix mayo and espresso but it absolutely works.

Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Caffeine regulates frontocorticostriatal dopamine transporter density and improves attention and cognitive deficits in an animal model of attention deficithyperactivity disorder.
Pandolfo P, Machado NJ, Köfalvi A, Takahashi RN, Cunha RA.


Neurosci Lett. 2011 Apr 20;494(1):44-8. Epub 2011 Mar 6.
Caffeine improves attention deficit in neonatal 6-OHDA lesioned rats, an animal model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Caballero M, Núñez F, Ahern S, Cuffí ML, Carbonell L, Sánchez S, Fernández-Dueñas V, Ciruela F.

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