You might not want to skip that second cup of coffee after all. A large new study suggests that regularly drinking caffeinated coffee or tea is linked to a lower risk of dementia and age-related memory problems—though researchers stress it's far from a magic shield for the brain. The study, published in JAMA, tracked more than 132,000 US adults over roughly 40 years using diet questionnaires. Those who drank the most caffeinated coffee had about an 18% lower risk of developing dementia than those who drank the least, and nearly a 2-point lower rate of self-reported memory or thinking issues, per Reuters. Similar trends showed up for caffeinated tea (14% lower risk), but not for decaf, per CNN.
The apparent sweet spot: two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day, or one to two cups of caffeinated tea. Coffee drinkers in that range also performed better on some objective tests of thinking skills, according to the National Institutes of Health-funded research. The results were consistent regardless of whether people had a higher genetic risk for dementia, said coauthor Dr. Yu Zhang of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Researchers caution that the effect, if real, is modest and that the study can't prove caffeine prevents dementia—it only shows an association. Lead author Dr. Daniel Wang of Harvard Medical School said better-backed ways to protect brain health include regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and sufficient sleep, with coffee or tea possibly "one piece of that puzzle." Scientists say more work is needed to confirm how ingredients like caffeine and polyphenols might reduce inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain. (Caffeinated coffee consumption is also linked to a higher likelihood of healthy aging.)
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