As people age, they are constantly told ‘eat this’, ‘don’t eat that’, ‘drink this’, ‘don’t drink that’.
But new research out of China suggests that our tea and coffee habits may be better for our health than we thought.
Dr Yuan Zhang and colleagues from the School of Public Health at Tianjin Medical University, China, looked at the data from 365,000 people, aged between 50 and 74, who were involved in the UK Biobank study for more than a decade (until 2020). They, among many other things, self-reported how much coffee and tea they drank.
Over the research period, 5,079 of them developed dementia and 10,053 went on to have at least one stroke.
The researchers discovered people who drank two to three cups of coffee or three to five cups of tea a day, or a combination of four to six cups of coffee and tea, had the lowest risk of stroke or dementia. Those who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea daily had a 32% lower risk of stroke. These people had a 28% lower risk of dementia compared with those who did not drink tea or coffee.
What benefits could tea and coffee have?
Coffee contains caffeine and is a rich source of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. Tea containing caffeine, catechin polyphenols, and flavonoids has been reported to play neuroprotective roles, such as antioxidative stress, anti-inflammation, inhibition of amyloid-beta aggregation, and an antiapoptotic effect.
“We found that drinking coffee and tea separately or in combination were associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia. Intake of coffee alone or in combination with tea was associated with lower risk of poststroke dementia,” said Dr Yuan.
However, the scientists cautioned that the UK Biobank reflects a relatively healthy sample relative to the general population, which could restrict the ability to generalise these associations. While it is possible that coffee and tea may be protective against stroke, dementia and post-stroke dementia, the researchers say causality cannot be concluded from the associations.
The research also found that if you drink more than four to six cups of coffee and tea daily, the chances of a stroke or dementia actually increase.
So, enjoy that cuppa – just not too much.
