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Clear Thinking From The Byrd Institute Opens Eyes

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

Updated: 01/07/2008 09:33 pm

A story on Page One of the Tribune last week lauded the beneficial effects of coffee when it comes to long-term brain function.

Animal research by scientists at the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute suggests caffeine does more than mask Alzheimer's symptoms; it affects disease progression.

This story resonates with me on so many levels. I'm especially happy when evidence vindicates decades of what previously had been labeled unhealthy behavior.

It has been happening a lot recently, and it's a beautiful thing. Butter, sugar, chocolate, red wine: They all have been moving off the "naughty" list, and I couldn't be happier. I'm still holding out for a few other products, such as cheese, heavy cream, red meat, pizza and deep-fried anything. Unless I fund the research, however, I suspect I'm going to be out of luck.

In light of such encouraging news regarding my favorite beverage, our region is uniquely positioned to cash in. We have deep Cuban roots here, and Tampa qualifies as a destination city in the world of java. Add a few more specialty grind "coffee spas" and Tampa could be hailed as the mental Lourdes of the South.

Then (and once the synapse-friendly qualities of the bean begin to resonate with my "quick-fix" baby-boom peers) our part of Florida could add to its cache as a Mecca for the aging. We could hook the nearly old and finally become the fountain of youth of which Juan Ponce de León dreamed.

Think about it. What if a few daily cups of espresso really could make up for the cumulative effects of the 1960s? What if two decades listening to the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead could be reversed via a grande cappuccino, a venti caffè latte or a tall Antiguan supremo?

Some of the most stimulating political dialogue and social commentary in the city can be found among aficionados of cafe con leche at any number of Ybor City and West Tampa cafes. The correlation with coffee consumption is clearly no accident.

Try hanging out one morning at La Ideal, El Gallo de Oro or La Tropicana Cafe. Some of the pundits may be almost twice my age, but they're all as sharp as they come.

It's too bad that caffeine is often disparaged as risky for people whose tickers are out of whack. With our historical appeal to seniors, the mental health benefits of a few extra cups of joe could restore the legend that Florida really is the place where people move to become young again.

Maybe if more Floridians drank coffee, we wouldn't have botched the 2000 elections so badly. Maybe if public officials dabbled in demitasse rather than demagoguery, we would see more in the way of political progress and less in the way of fiscal fiasco.

So kudos to the Byrd Institute for some potentially grounds-breaking research.

Wouldn't it be exiting to see more compelling medical solutions emerge from remedies available in nature? Wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to see additional, unpatented interventions begin to reverse the stranglehold pharmaceutical corporations have on our wallets and our hope?

Meanwhile, I recommend another pot of the good stuff.

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul @gmail.com.

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