New study finds coffee and tea may reduce risk of stroke or dementia
According to a new study, drinking coffee and tea may reduce your risk of having a stroke or developing dementia.
While drinking coffee or tea alone had benefits, the most effect came with drinking both beverages. Four to six cups a day of both coffee and tea was the sweet spot for reducing risk of disease.
Researchers analysed 16 years of beverage consumption and disease levels of 365,682 participants (50 to 74 years old) from the UK Biobank dataset. Over the study period, 5079 participants developed dementia and 10,053 experienced at least one stroke.
Previous studies have revealed the involvement of coffee and tea in the development of stroke and dementia. However, little is known about the association between the combination of coffee and tea and the risk of stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia. The study aimed to investigate the associations of coffee and tea separately and in combination with the risk of developing stroke and dementia.
The study found that people who drank two to three cups of coffee or three to five cups of tea per day, or a combination of four to six cups of coffee and tea, had the lowest incidence of stroke or dementia. Individuals who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea daily had a 32 per cent lower risk of stroke and a 28 per cent lower risk of dementia compared with those who drank neither coffee nor tea.
Intake of coffee alone, or in combination with tea, was also associated with lower risk of post-stroke dementia.
There were several reasons as to why coffee and tea may be beneficial. Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. Antioxidants fight free radicals in the body and, if there are more free radicals in the body than antioxidants, it can result in damage to the DNA, which increases the risk of cancer and accelerates ageing. An excess of free radicals is linked to multiple diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Tea containing caffeine, catechin polyphenols and flavonoids has been associated with neuro-protective effects such as antioxidative stressand anti-inflammation.
“Our study showed that there was an interaction between coffee and tea that associated with stroke and dementia,” the researchers found.
The researchers also found the combination of coffee and tea consumption was associated with lower risk of ischaemic stroke and vascular dementia.
“Coffee and tea are distinct beverages with both overlapping and different contents. One potential mechanism for the effects on the risk of stroke and dementia may be related to the combined protective role of the different antioxidant and other biological contents in these two beverages.”
The researchers also found the combination of coffee and tea consumption was associated with lower risk of ischaemic stroke and vascular dementia.
“We found that drinking coffee and tea separately or in combination were associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia,” the researchers said. “Intake of coffee alone or in combination with tea was associated with lower risk of post-stroke dementia.”
But before you go off and start drinking 4-6 cups of coffee and tea each day, it’s important to note that each person’s body responds differently to caffeine. Below are a few articles to continue reading:
Otherwise you might end up like Kramer when he gets hooked on the cafe latte’s!
Sources:
– The Australian, Coffee and tea found to ward off dementia. Natasha Robinson. Read article
– Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank. Yuan Zhang, Hongxi Yang, Shu Li, Wei-Dong Li, Yaogang Wang. PubMed. View study
