Doctors and scientists in the United States have gathered over four decades of evidence that coffee could play a role in curbing cognitive decline, including among people who have a genetic predisposition towards dementia.
After a 43-year study of around 130,000 people, 11,033 of whom developed the disease, a team based at Mass General Brigham and Harvard University concluded that “moderate consumption” of coffee and tea led to a “reduced dementia risk.”
Pointing to “reduced cognitive decline, and preserved cognitive function,” the researchers said around two or three cups of caffeinated coffee or a cup or two of tea a day appeared to be the most effective amount.
In a paper published by the American Medical Association, the team reminded readers that early prevention is “especially crucial” when it comes to dementia, as once symptoms begin, treatments yield no more than “modest benefit.”
The researchers described polyphenols and caffeine in coffee and tea as “possible neuroprotective factors that reduce inflammation and cellular damage while protecting against cognitive decline.”
As a result, a lifetime of drinking coffee and tea could be one aspect of stalling brain atrophy.
”While our results are encouraging, it’s important to remember that the effect size is small and there are lots of important ways to protect cognitive function as we age,” said Daniel Wang of Mass General Brigham and Harvard.
”Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle,” Wang added.
”We also compared people with different genetic predispositions to developing dementia and saw the same results – meaning coffee or caffeine is likely equally beneficial for people with high and low genetic risk of developing dementia,” said Yu Zhang of Mass General Brigham.
In 2023, the American Chemical Society published research showing compounds in espresso as helping to “inhibit” the build-up in the brain of a protein called tau that has been linked to late-life damage to cognition.
Recently, scientists at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom suggested that coffee has anti-ageing properties for human cells and ”might be beneficial for health.”
And in 2024, the American Cancer Society released findings showing coffee as reducing the odds of developing some forms of dementia.
However, the University of Utah-led team said four cups of coffee a day appeared to be optimal, double what the Mass General Brigham researchers have found to be helpful against dementia. – dpa
