Could your daily cup of coffee or tea be a simple yet powerful tool in the fight against cognitive decline and dementia? Let’s find out.
Cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease pose a growing threat to public health, with the World Health Organization predicting a staggering 100 million cases by 2050.1 As current treatments offer limited relief, researchers are increasingly focusing on prevention strategies, and a new study is brewing up exciting possibilities.
Scientists are taking a closer look at coffee and tea, two of the world’s most beloved beverages, to determine if their caffeine content and other components could help protect against cognitive decline.
A study published in Nutrition Reviews has found that drinking coffee and tea is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Ben-Qiao Wang and others from the Department of Neurology, The First Hospital, China Medical University, in Shenyang, China found that those who consumed coffee and tea were less likely to experience cognitive decline.2
The researchers found a significant link between coffee and tea consumption and a lower risk of cognitive problems. This is exciting news, because it suggests that simple lifestyle changes like incorporating coffee or tea into your daily routine could play a role in protecting brain health.
Interestingly, the study revealed that the protective effect of coffee was strongest at around 2.5 cups per day, while the benefits of tea appeared to increase with each additional cup consumed. The researchers also observed that men seemed to gain more protection from coffee and tea than women, though more research is needed to understand why.
Brewing up the science
The scientists started by doing a deep dive into a ton of research. To ensure the reliability of their findings, they followed strict guidelines and a comprehensive process.
First, they cast a wide net: They scoured three major research databases, looking for studies published up to January 2022 that explored the relationship between coffee, tea, caffeine, and cognitive disorders. No stone was left unturned as they even manually checked the references of the identified studies to find additional relevant research.
Second, they only selected studies for analysis that met specific criteria: population-based, focused on cognitive disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s, and provide detailed data on coffee/tea consumption and cognitive outcomes.
Third, they brewed the data: The researchers independently reviewed each study, extracting key information and ensuring that the studies used reliable methods and adjusted for other factors that could influence cognitive decline.
Lastly, to guarantee the robustness of their analysis, the researchers used a standardized scale to assess the quality of each study, ensuring that only high-quality research was included in the final brew.
Spilling the tea about caffeine and dementia
The meta-analysis combined data from over 389,000 participants across 33 studies.
The analysis revealed that coffee drinkers had a 27% lower risk of developing cognitive disorders, with a 30% risk reduction specifically for dementia. This protective effect was more pronounced in men, who experienced a 38% risk reduction compared to women’s 17%.
Now, before you start mainlining espresso, it seems there’s a sweet spot for coffee consumption: around 2.5 cups a day. The research found that 2.5 cups of coffee per day was linked to the greatest risk reduction, especially for Alzheimer’s disease. Tea drinkers also showed a lower risk of cognitive problems, with a 32% reduction observed. In contrast to coffee, each cup of tea consumed per day was linked to an 11% reduction in the risk of cognitive deficits, suggesting a more linear relationship.
Their analysis also highlighted the role of caffeine itself, which was associated with a 31% lower risk of dementia in those with high caffeine intake.
While this study can’t definitively prove that coffee and tea directly prevent cognitive decline, it provides strong evidence for their potential benefits. Of course, there are some limitations, such as the possibility of other lifestyle factors influencing the results and the lack of data on specific tea types. Despite these limitations, this research strengthens the idea that enjoying coffee and tea as part of a healthy lifestyle could contribute to maintaining brain health as we age.
References
- Dementia (no date) World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia (Accessed: 30 October 2024).
- Zhu Y, Hu CX, Liu X, Zhu RX, Wang BQ. Moderate coffee or tea consumption decreased the risk of cognitive disorders: an updated dose-response meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2024;82(6):738-748. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuad089
