A major study spanning more than four decades has shown that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea may be linked to a reduced risk of dementia and the preservation of cognitive abilities. The findings, published in the journal JAMA, highlight caffeinated beverages as a potential component in dementia prevention strategies.
اضافة اعلان
The study, which included over 130,000 participants, was conducted by research teams from Mass General Brigham, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. It utilized data from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS).
According to SciTechDaily, analyses revealed that consuming 2–3 cups of caffeinated coffee or 1–2 cups of tea daily is associated with an 18% lower risk of dementia compared to those who consumed little to none. Furthermore, coffee drinkers reported lower rates of subjective cognitive decline (7.8% vs. 9.5%) and performed better in objective cognitive tests.
"When looking for potential tools to prevent dementia, we thought something as common as coffee could be a promising dietary intervention," said Dr. Daniel Wang, co-author and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "Access to high-quality data over 40 years allowed us to pursue this idea."
Dr. Wang emphasized that while the results are encouraging, coffee and tea are not the sole solution for brain protection, as several other factors are crucial for maintaining mental function with age. The study focuses on prevention before symptoms appear, given that current treatments offer limited improvement once the disease has progressed.
Both coffee and tea contain bioactive compounds such as caffeine and polyphenols, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage associated with cognitive decline. Researchers noted that the benefits were most evident at the 2–3 cup (coffee) or 1–2 cup (tea) range. Notably, decaffeinated coffee did not show the same effects, underscoring the potential role of caffeine.
Lead author Yu Zhang, a doctoral student at Harvard Chan School, noted: "The findings were consistent among individuals with both high and low genetic risk for dementia, suggesting that caffeine is likely beneficial across all genetic profiles."
By following participants for up to 43 years, the researchers had a rare opportunity to analyze the long-term relationship between caffeinated beverage consumption and cognitive health.
Source: Al-Bayan
