People who drink a couple of cups of tea or coffee a day may face a lower risk of dementia, scientists say. A large US study found that those who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15–20% lower dementia risk over four decades than non-drinkers. The research, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, analysed health data from more than 130,000 participants.
Caffeinated coffee drinkers also showed slightly less cognitive decline and better performance on some brain tests than those who chose decaf. No protective link appeared for decaffeinated coffee. Lead author Yu Zhang of Harvard University said the findings support a possible brain benefit but do not prove causation. Coffee and tea contain caffeine and antioxidants that may protect brain health by improving blood flow and reducing inflammation.
Experts caution against seeing caffeine as a cure-all. Naveed Sattar from the University of Glasgow noted caffeine can have both helpful and harmful effects, including raising blood pressure in some people. Researchers stress that healthy lifestyles, exercise, balanced diets and good sleep remain the strongest tools for protecting brain health.
