Over the years, evidence has been mounting that coffee consumption is beneficial for cognitive decline, particularly dementia. A up-to-date study, which involved more than 100,000 people over more than 40 years, further supports this point.
As reported CNNThe study, led by Dr. Daniel Wong of Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health Medical School, was recently published in the journal . For this purpose, a total of 131,821 participants were studied, 86,606 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and 45,215 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). The NHS had been in operation for 43 years and the HPFS for 40. None of the participants had cancer, Parkinson’s disease or dementia at the start of the study.
Participants’ coffee and tea consumption, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, and dietary information. A total of 11,033 cases of dementia occurred during the study period. They found that overall, “Greater consumption of caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with a lower risk of dementia and moderately better cognitive function.”
The results were non-linear, meaning more coffee or tea did not mean better effects. In fact, moderate intake has been shown to have the clearest link. The best results were achieved by drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day, with the risk of dementia reducing by 18%, and drinking 1-2 cups of tea a day – by 14%. Decaffeinated versions of both drinks did not evoke such positive associations.
Still, drinking coffee is not a substitute for other brain-healthy activities, including “regular and regular physical activity, good sleep hygiene, quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure and diabetes, staying socially engaged, and maintaining an overall quality diet, which should consist primarily of whole grain, plant-based foods.” However, this appears to be at least part of the health strategy.
