Your memory could be sharper simply down to what you drink
The drink you consume every day could be giving you more benefits than you think. New research has linked moderate consumption of two drinks with slower declines in reasoning and memory among seniors.
Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers explored the link between tea and coffee consumption and long-term cognitive changes in older adults. The findings suggest that moderate coffee intake, along with moderate to high tea consumption, could be linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline.
It also reveals that drinking these beverages may help safeguard against particular types of cognitive decline in older adults, particularly in areas like reasoning and problem-solving. In contrast, consuming four or more cups of coffee daily was linked to a quicker decline.
In fact, “one study found that consuming up to 2.5 cups of coffee per day was linked to a lower risk of cognitive disorders, while for tea, a linear relationship was observed, where each additional daily cup was associated with an 11% reduction in risk.”
The study analysed data from 8,715 dementia-free participants in the UK, aged between 60 and 85, who were followed for an average of 9.11 years. People were excluded if they had medical conditions or were on medications that could affect cognitive health, such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, or if they consumed more than 14 units of alcohol per week.
In their study conclusion, researchers revealed “moderate coffee and both moderate and high tea intake were associated with slower declines in fluid intelligence over nearly a decade, suggesting potential cognitive benefits in older age. While the protective effects were more apparent for tea and moderate coffee intake, high coffee consumption (four or more cups per day) was linked to poorer outcomes.”
Despite some “limitations”, the study notes that the results suggest “moderate consumption of coffee and tea may be protective against age-related cognitive decline. The researchers speculate that caffeine may be a key factor, noting that tea’s lower caffeine content could explain why no upper limit for beneficial tea consumption was observed in this study.”
The study highlights that cognitive decline, especially from Alzheimer’s disease, poses a major public health challenge in ageing populations. With this in mind, the experts stress that identifying lifestyle factors that can help preserve cognitive function and is essential.