Drinking a daily cup of decaffeinated coffee may help prevent and treat a decline in brain function, according to new research from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The brain metabolizes glucose more effectively when decaffeinated coffee is consumed on a regular basis, something of particular interest to patients with type 2 diabetes.

"This is the first evidence showing the potential benefits of decaffeinated coffee preparations for both preventing and treating cognitive decline caused by type 2 diabetes, aging, and/or neurodegenerative disorders,” said lead researcher Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Dr. Pasinetti administered a standardized decaffeinated coffee preparation to mice regularly for five months and evaluated the brain's genetic response.

The research is published online in Nutritional Neuroscience.