Khaberni - A large study that lasted for more than four decades has demonstrated that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea may be associated with a reduced risk of dementia and maintaining cognitive abilities. The results of this study were published in the JAMA journal, highlighting caffeinated beverages as a potential component in dementia prevention strategies.
The study, which involved more than 130,000 individuals, was conducted by research teams from Mass General Brigham and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, based on data from two study cohorts, the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS).
According to the website scitechdaily, the analyses showed that consuming caffeinated coffee at a rate of 2-3 cups per day or tea at 1-2 cups per day is associated with an 18% reduced risk of developing dementia compared to those who did not consume these drinks or consumed them in small amounts. Coffee drinkers also reported a decrease in self-perceived cognitive decline (7.8% versus 9.5%), and some objective tests showed better performance among them.
Dr. Daniel Wang, the co-researcher and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, said, "In searching for potential tools for dementia prevention, we thought something as common as coffee might be a promising dietary intervention, and having access to high-quality data over more than 40 years allowed us to pursue this idea."
Wang emphasized that the findings are encouraging, but they do not mean that coffee or tea is the sole solution for brain protection, as there are several important ways to maintain mental functions with aging.
The study focused on dementia prevention before symptoms appear, given that current treatments offer limited improvements after the disease progresses.
Both coffee and tea contain biologically active compounds such as caffeine and polyphenols, which may reduce inflammation and limit cellular damage associated with cognitive decline.
The researchers pointed out that the benefits were clearly observed among people who consumed 2-3 cups of coffee or 1-2 cups of tea daily, whereas decaffeinated coffee did not show the same effects, suggesting the potential role of caffeine. Higher levels of consumption did not show harmful effects but appeared to provide similar neuroprotective benefits as the optimal range.
The principal researcher Yu Chang, a doctoral student at the Harvard Chan School and a research intern at Mass General Brigham, noted that: "The results were similar among individuals with high and low genetic risks for developing dementia, which means that coffee or caffeine is likely beneficial for all genetic categories."
The study included following some participants for up to 43 years, giving researchers a rare opportunity to analyze the long-term relationship between consuming caffeinated beverages and mental health.
