In the case of alzheimer's, the benefit is most likely from the fact Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the acetylcholine system. In that sense it is similar

In the case of alzheimer's, the benefit is most likely from the fact Caffeine is a stimulant that affects the acetylcholine system. In that sense it is similar to nicotine, and NON-smokers are 50% more likely to develop alzheimer's (controlling for increased mortality). One current alzheimer's medication is Galantamine ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galantamine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galantamine ), which also increases acetylcholine levels and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activity specifically.