A study conducted by a research team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore showed that 200 mg of caffeine per day can increase long-term memory. The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The researchers launched an experiment to find more solid facts about the effects of caffeine as a cognitive enhancer. They analyzed responses to a set of questions from 160 participants aged between 18 and 30 years.

The participants were asked to define pictures of different objects as “indoor” or “outdoor.” Soon after the process, they were randomly given a 200 mg caffeine pill or a placebo at varying times before and after the test. On the following day, the participants were asked to identify the pictures as “new,” “old” or “similar to the original pictures.”

The project’s results were astounding. Those who took the caffeine pill performed better at the experiment, however, those who took a caffeine pill one hour before the experiment showed no improvement in memory performance.

Further experiments conducted by the research team using 100 mg and 300 mg doses of caffeine showed that at least 200 mg were needed to see enhancement in memory. More than 300 mg of caffeine showed stagnated results.

According to a study reported in Medical News Today, caffeinated drinks may decrease the chances of suffering from a liver disease and another study showed that drinking 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of suicide.

Ha Ji-won, Intern reporter (jiwonha@heraldcorp.com)