Your morning brew of coffee or tea might do more than just kickstart your day—it could potentially lower your risk of developing dementia. This revelation comes from a significant study examining drinking habits and their link to dementia risk. The study, which observed over 130,000 individuals, found that a moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee (around two to three cups daily) or tea (one to two cups daily) is associated with a reduced likelihood of developing the condition.

Researchers from the United States delved into data from two prominent studies—the Nurses’ Health Study involving women, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study involving men. During the extensive 43-year follow-up period, approximately 11,000 participants were diagnosed with dementia. The findings revealed that individuals who regularly consumed higher quantities of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely indulged in the beverage.

Additionally, these coffee drinkers reported a lower incidence of subjective cognitive decline (7.8% versus 9.5%) and outperformed others in certain cognitive tests.

Dr. Daniel Wang, a study co-author and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, commented: “In our quest for potential dementia prevention strategies, we considered that coffee, given its widespread consumption, might be an effective dietary intervention.”

He added, “Our access to high-quality data from long-standing studies, ongoing for over four decades, enabled us to thoroughly explore this hypothesis.”

Coffee and tea contain beneficial compounds, like polyphenols and caffeine, which are believed to promote brain health and cognitive function.

These are believed to have anti-inflammatory benefits and may help to reduce blood pressure.

There was no reduced risk of dementia seen among people who drank decaffeinated coffee, suggesting caffeine may play an important role in any beneficial effect.

Study leader Yu Zhang, of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said: “We also compared people with different genetic predispositions to developing dementia and saw the same results, meaning coffee or caffeine is likely equally beneficial for people with high and low genetic risk of developing dementia.”

The study was observational so could not prove that drinking tea or coffee was responsible for the difference in risk.

Dr Wang added: “While our results are encouraging, it’s important to remember that the effect size is small and there are lots of important ways to protect cognitive function as we age.

“Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle.”

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research also involved authors at Mass General Brigham and the Broad Institute of MIT.