If you’re a coffee or tea lover that just can’t seem to give up that morning cup of joy — turns out you might not need to. A newly published study in JAMA suggests that drinking coffee and tea (specifically two to three cups of day) may have a strong impact in supporting cognitive health.
The research found that coffee drinkers in midlife had about an 18% lower chance of developing dementia later on in life, whereas tea drinkers had a 14% lower risk compared to those who did not consume the beverages at all. Overall, the research points to that drinking caffeinated beverages in moderation may help slow cognitive decline and equate to more preserved cognitive function. The study also took a look at how drinking decaffeinated coffee or tea could affect cognitive function. Interestingly, the researchers did not observe any connection with cognitive health for those drinking decaffeinated beverages.
Of about 130,000 individuals in this study, 8% developed dementia. The researchers compared people with different genetic predispositions to developing dementia and saw the same results — which found that consuming coffee or tea is likely beneficial for people with high and low genetic risk of developing dementia. While drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea isn’t the only way to help support cognitive health, this research suggests you might not need to fear your favorite hot drink as much as some experts warn. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, didn’t distinguish between dementia types (more research would be needed to dive further into specific sub-types of dementia).
