A study which explored the link between drinking different amounts of tea and coffee and cognitive function in older adults has revealed that moderate coffee intake, and moderate to high tea intake, could be linked to slower cognitive decline.
They also found that moderate coffee intake may be more beneficial than a higher intake.
Coffee and tea contain compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, and other polyphenols that may boost brain health. Coffee also contains chlorogenic acids and tea contains theanine and specific flavonoids.
- Fruit, coffee, chocolate and wine may reduce risk of metabolic syndrome by 23%
- High coffee intake can influence makeup of gut biome
- Drinking coffee regularly could lower risk of cardiometabolic diseases
Previous studies and meta-analysis have yielded mixed results when it comes to the effect of tea and coffee on brain performance in older adults.
This latest study saw researchers examine data from 8,715 participants in the UK aged from 60 to 85 years who did not have dementia at the start of the study period and were followed over an average of 9.11 years.
Participants reported their coffee and tea intake from the previous year, categorising it into three groups: never, moderate intake (between one and three cups per day), or high intake (more than four cups per day).
Cognitive performance was measured to assess:
- Fluid intelligence – the ability to solve verbal and numeric reasoning problems
- Reaction time
- Numeric memory
- Pair-matching errors – a visual memory test.
The authors concluded: “Our findings reinforce the concept that ‘moderate’ habitual coffee intake and ‘moderate’ and ‘high’ habitual tea intake may be a protective factor against cognitive decline with increasing age.
“There is a need for randomised controlled trials to establish causal relationships leading to evidence-based recommendations about the risks and benefits of coffee and tea intake for cognitive function in aging populations.”
Read more in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
