How a Couple of Coffees a Day Could Lower the Risk of Dementia

A recent report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has looked into the effects of long-term intake of caffeinated coffee and tea associated with the risk of dementia and other cognitive outcomes. The results are very encouraging for coffee lovers!

The team of researchers analysed records of 131,821 volunteers enrolled in two large US public health studies, the Nurses’ Health study and the Health Professionals Follow-up study. Their findings suggested that people who enjoy a couple of coffees or teas a day have a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive performance than those who avoid the drinks.

Health records for those included in the study showed that, over the course of 40 years, those who routinely drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15-20% lower risk of dementia than those who went without.

The caffeinated drinkers also reported slightly less cognitive decline and performed better on some objective tests of brain function, when compared to those who opted for decaffeinated drinks. Overall, men and women who drank the most caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who had little or none, with similar results seen for tea.

“…to our knowledge, it is the best evidence to date looking at coffee and tea intake and cognitive health, and it is consistent with plausible biology” said the lead author of the report, Yu Zhang, who studies nutritional epidemiology at Harvard University.

The link between caffeine and improved health has long been studied - coffee and tea contain caffeine and polyphenols that may protect against brain ageing by improving vascular health and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. It has also been suggested that substances in the drinks could also work by improving metabolic health. Caffeine, for example, is linked to lower rates of type 2 diabetes, a known risk factor for dementia.