The morning coffee; the most important meal of the day.
Apparently that caffeine hit just after daybreak improves your reaction times, making it easier to make simple decisions, particularly in older people.
As part of a University of Bath study, older adults who had not consumed any caffeine for more than a week were given caffeine tablets equal to two cups of coffee or a placebo on alternate days.
Afterwards they were asked to carry out attention and reaction tests, with all participants scoring better after consuming caffeine.
However, study author Dr Kanchan Sharma says consuming too much caffeine on a regular basis will negate its effects as the body becomes accustomed to the caffeine. He says the trick to making it work for you when you need it is to stick to decaf on a day-to-day basis and switch to caffeinated coffee whenever you need a boost.
Scientists hope the study will help them move closer to finding a cure for dementia.
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