Caffeine and Your Brain

Posted by admin in European Studies on November 3, 2011

European Studies

European Studies

Caffeinated drinks are the most popular way to start the day in the Western world, with tea, coffee, cocoa, colas and drinks with added guarana being major sources. Around 2002 there was the first appearance of a study linking caffeine to Alzheimer’s Disease. The surprise was the link was that too little caffeine increased the risk of dementia. In the following years there has been much more research showing that caffeine lowered the chance of losing your marbles.

Caffeine & dementia

In Alzheimer’s there is a build-up of beta amyloid proteins in the brain that disrupt memory. In mice, caffeine halts the formation of this nasty protein. Caffeine is also anti-inflammatory, helping to protect the brain further as Alzheimer’s is an inflammatory disease of the brain. That may help explain the results of two recent studies.

A European study tracked 676 men, aged 70-90 years, for over 10 years while assessing their cognitive decline (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007; 61: 226-232). The lowest decline in brain function was observed in the men drinking 3 cups of coffee a day. Those with the greatest decline were the non-coffee drinkers and those drinking more than 4 cups a day. In fact, if you didn’t drink coffee then your brain went downhill four times quicker than if you had three cups a day. I bet nobody would have predicted that last century.

That’s good news for blokes, but can it apply to women too? A more recent European study of 875 women and 534 men, aged 65-79 years, also found a strong correlation between coffee consumption and dementia in both the men and women (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2009; 16: 85-91). Moderate coffee drinkers reduced their risk of dementia by two-thirds compared to non-drinkers after 21 years of follow-up. What is moderate coffee drinking? Between 3-5 cups a day. Read the rest of this entry »

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Migraine Headaches – The Most Commonly Used Nutritional Supplements For Migraine Prevention

Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 1, 2011

European Studies

European Studies

Migraine headaches put a heavy load on society. According to the National Headache Foundation, migraine headaches affect more than 28 million Americans and cost society over $13 billion each year. That is just the tip of the iceberg though. Migraines frequently precipitate depression, which is three times as frequent among migraine sufferers than non-headache victims (Fasmer, O.B., The Prevalence of migraine in patients with bipolar and unipolar affective disorders. Cephalalgia, 2001. 21(9): p.894-899). And don’t forget about the countless number of people whose quality of life has been severely damaged by headaches.

Traditional treatment methods are just not working without side-effects. We need to examine alternative treatments for migraines. We need to attack headaches at the root, we need to stop treating the effect and eliminate the causes of headaches. For years the common cry has been that headaches were caused by stress. From mine and others experiences as well we can agree that stress can be a cause, but it is hardly the only cause. It goes much deeper and is much more complicated than a simple platitude like that. Let’s take a look at some of the most common and promising vitamins for headaches, supplements for migraines, and alternative treatments for migraines.

Riboflavin Riboflavin is also known as Vitamin B-2. It plays a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is yellow or yellow-orange in color. In addition to being used as a food coloring it is also used to fortify foods such as baby-foods, breakfast cereal, pastas, processed cheese, fruit drinks and sauces. It is also widely used in vitamin supplements. Read the rest of this entry »

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AP European History Free Response – Nailing the Essay Questions

Posted by admin in European Studies on October 20, 2011

European StudiesWorried about the AP European history free response questions? The essay portion of the AP European history exam forces you to have a deep knowledge of the topic, making it particularly difficult to study for. Fortunately, with the right techniques and review resources (these are important), you can get the grade you want.

Before you can begin preparing for the AP European history free response questions, you need to have a basic grasp of general European history. This means that you should study for the multiple choice portion first, and then turn to essays or the Document Based Question (DBQ) portions. You’ll need a solid understanding of the chronology of the history of Europe, and should be able to identify major events or broad historical movements. Make a list of these broad themes, like ‘The Industrial Revolution’ or ‘The Enlightenment’ to guide your preparation.

Next, you have to identify possible free response topics that relate to each event. Write these down, and begin recording any facts that you can remember off the top of your head. This will form the foundation of your essays. Read the rest of this entry »

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