A new study suggests that drinking coffee and tea may provide some protection against strokes and dementia. To do this, the study authors examined healthy people between the ages of 50 and 74. According to researchers, strokes cause 10 percent of deaths worldwide. Dementia is a general term for symptoms related to worsening brain function. This is also a global health problem with a high economic and social burden. In addition, the new findings couldcontribute to the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
The benefits of coffee and tea for brain function
The scientists analyzed data from more than 360,000 people between 2006 and 2020. At the beginning, the participants themselves reported their coffee and tea consumption. During the study period, 5,079 study participants developed dementia, while 10,053 suffered at least one stroke. People who drank 2-3 cups of coffee or 3-5 cups of tea, or a combination of 4-6 cups of coffee and tea daily, had the lowest incidence of stroke or dementia. In addition, the risk of stroke fell by 32%, while the risk of dementia was reduced by 28%. The researchers compared this with those who did not consume coffee or tea. Accordingly, the results suggest that regular, combined consumption of the two drinks could lead to improvement in brain function.
The UK biobank used in this research reflects a relatively healthy sample relative to the general population. This could limit the ability to generalize the new associations. Additionally, relatively few people developed dementia or strokes, which can make it difficult to accurately extrapolate rates to larger populations. Finally, it would be possible that consumption of coffee and tea protects against stroke, dementia and the associated symptoms. However, the research team was unable to derive this causality from the associations. The authorsthis studyhope to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the results in future research. The new findings suggest that moderate but regular consumption of coffee and tea could enable new nutritional strategies against brain diseases.
