1 of 2
Researchers find that drinking tea and coffee separately or in combination leads to fewer strokes and dementia.
2 of 2
Researchers find that drinking tea and coffee separately or in combination leads to fewer strokes and dementia.
A 14-year study of 365,000 people suggests that tea and coffee drinkers are 32% less likely to suffer a stroke when compared to non-drinkers. Drinking 2-3 cups of coffee or 3-5 cups of tea daily (or in combination) also led to a 28% lower risk of dementia than those who do not drink tea or coffee. Results of the UK Biobank study, initiated in 2006 and continued through 2020, were reported November 16 in the online journal PLOS Medicine. The authors write that “while previous studies have looked at associations between tea and coffee consumption and better brain health, there has been inconsistency in findings.”
“Our findings suggested that moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination were associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia,” writes lead author and Professor Yuan Zhang at Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. The research is a joint effort with Yale University. The study tracked British residents between 50 and 74 years of age at 22 care centers.
Zhang said drinking even small amounts of coffee or tea lowers the risk. About 20% of participants said they do not drink coffee, and 14% said they drank no tea, but the largest group consumed between a half cup and one cup of coffee daily and approximately four cups of tea.
Strokes cause 10% of deaths globally, and those who survive often experience post-stroke dementia. People who have had a stroke have a far greater risk of developing dementia than people who have not had a stroke. According to WebMD, about 1 in 4 people who have had a stroke will develop signs of vascular dementia. In the US, vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers say that around 40 years of age, the immune system starts to decline. As people age, they experience a form of chronic low-grade inflammation. Experts have linked this kind of age-related inflammation to dementia and cognitive decline. According to the United Nations, the worldwide population of those aged 60 years and over will grow to 2.1 billion by 2050. Rates of dementia are expected to increase alongside this aging population, according to Medical News Today.
Researchers cite weakness in that study participants were in better health than the population and that the participants are mainly white and British (96%) “therefore we cannot infer an association that is relevant to everyone in the UK.”
_____
Citation: Zhang Y, Yang H, Li S, Li W-d, Wang Y (2021) Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank. PLoS Med 18(11): e1003830. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003830