A new study claims drinking multiple cups of caffeinated coffee or tea per day can protect the brain and reduce a person’s risk of dementia.
The study, published in JAMA, reviewed more than 130,000 questionnaires filled out over four decades and found that people who drank more of the caffeinated beverages had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia and self-reported fewer memory or thinking problems than the group that consumed the least.
People who drank two or three cups of caffeinated coffee or tea a day — about 300 milligrams of caffeine — showed the best results. There was no indication from the study that decaf drinks had the same effect.
“We are not recommending that people who don’t drink coffee start drinking,” said the study’s co-author Dr. Yu Zhang, a research trainee at Mass General Brigham in Boston. “We are just seeing that for people who already drink coffee, the results are really reassuring.”
Researchers said more data was needed since previous studies have found exercise, healthy diet and good sleep could also reduce dementia risk.
“Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle,” study leader Dr. Daniel Wang of Harvard Medical School said in a statement.
