Your daily coffee habit may play a role in dementia risk, study finds

Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily could reduce the risk of dementia, according to new observational research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

American researchers analyzed four decades of data from more than 130,000 doctors and nurses, finding that moderately caffeinated coffee and tea intake can lower the risk of cognitive decline, according to SWNS.

The analysis revealed that not only did participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee have a lower risk of dementia, but there also appeared to be a "sweet spot" where it was most effective.

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Previous findings on the relationship between coffee and dementia have been inconsistent due to limited follow-up data. To address this, researchers used information from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, tracking healthcare professionals from midlife through older age.

Over a follow-up period of up to 43 years, the team analyzed self-reported dietary patterns collected through questionnaires administered every four years.

This long-term approach allowed scientists to account for changes in coffee and tea consumption over time, while monitoring for both clinical dementia diagnoses and subtle shifts in cognitive function.

By adjusting for variables such as smoking, physical activity and underlying health conditions, the researchers were able to isolate the specific relationship between caffeine intake and long-term brain health, SWNS noted.

Of the 131,821 participants involved in the long-term analysis, 11,033 developed dementia.

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The analysis revealed that participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no consumption.

These participants also performed better on tests of overall cognitive function, the report noted. While higher tea intake yielded similar results, decaffeinated coffee did not, suggesting that caffeine is likely the driving neuroprotective factor.

The cognitive benefits were most pronounced in those who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of tea daily.

Dementia affects more than six million Americans and 55 million people worldwide, with the National Institutes of Health reporting more than 100,000 U.S. deaths annually. 

Experts emphasize that early prevention is crucial, as current treatments offer only modest benefits once symptoms appear. This has led scientists to investigate the role that specific lifestyle factors play in cognitive decline.

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"When searching for possible dementia prevention tools, we thought something as prevalent as coffee may be a promising dietary intervention," senior study author Daniel Wang, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, noted in a press release from SWNS.

Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols and caffeine, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage while defending against cognitive decline. Researchers referred to these properties as "neuroprotective."

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Contrary to some previous studies, higher caffeine intake did not produce negative effects; instead, it provided consistent neuroprotective benefits even for those with a high genetic predisposition to the disease, per SWNS.

Despite the encouraging findings, Wang cautioned that the effect size is small and should be viewed as just one of many ways to protect cognitive health during aging.