Coffee may boost short-term memory

Colleen Callahan drinks about four cups of coffee every day. She says she likes the flavor, and it gives her energy for the day.

"It's very routine to me, so if I don't get my coffee in the morning, I get a little upset. It's a great way to start off my day," she said.

Callahan and other coffee drinkers can now enjoy health benefits when they enjoy their morning beverages. In an Austrian study of 15 healthy men ages 26 to 47, researchers detected increased activity in the brain's memory centers 20 minutes after the men consumed 100 milligrams of caffeine, which is about two cups of coffee. The activity was significantly greater than men who consumed water during the experiment.

Cognitive psychology professor Joseph Dien said the new findings deepened the understanding of caffeine.

"I think it's giving some useful, additional information in terms of understanding exactly what it means to say that caffeine is making us more alert," he said.

Callahan said she would drink coffee even if it wasn't mentally beneficial, but she was glad to know that it did have healthy effects.

"I suppose that's a plus. It's a bonus. I don't really think about whether it's good or bad for me. I just drink it because I enjoy it, so if it benefits me, it's a wonderful thing," she said.

During the experiments, researchers noted that the caffeine's effect on memory diminishes after about 45 minutes.

Researchers said the new findings may lead to the development of drugs containing caffeine to improve memory functions.

For more information on the benefits of coffee visit Coffeescience.org, a web site supported by the National Coffee Association.