Decaf Coffee May Offer a Surprising Memory Benefit, Study Finds

Decaffeinated coffee may be linked to improvements in some aspects of memory, according to a recent experiment published in Nature Communications.

The study also associated caffeinated coffee with better attention and alertness, pointing to different potential benefits for the two types of coffee.

The memory findings suggest that caffeine may not be the only factor worth examining when studying coffee’s relationship with cognitive performance. The reported results, however, do not establish what might account for the association.

The distinction is important: improvements in attention and alertness are not the same as improvements in memory. The findings should not be read as showing that either type of coffee boosts cognitive function across the board.