Moderate coffee or tea consumption decreased the risk of cognitive disorders: an updated dose-response meta-analysis

Although several epidemiological studies have examined the association between coffee or tea intake and the risk of cognitive disorders, the results to date are inconsistent.

An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis was conducted to confirm the association between coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption and the risk of cognitive disorders.

PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to January 2022 for relevant studies, including dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and cognitive impairment or decline.

Two reviewers independently performed data extraction and assessed the study quality.

Restricted cubic splines were used to conduct the dose-response meta-analysis for coffee and tea intake.

Twenty-two prospective studies and 11 case-control studies involving 389 505 participants were eligible for this meta-analysis. Coffee and tea consumption was linked to a lower risk of cognitive disorders, with an overall relative risk (RR) of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.60-0.86) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.56-0.80), respectively. The subgroup analysis revealed that ethnicity, sex, and outcomes had significant effects on this association. Protection was stronger for men than that for women in both coffee and tea consumption. A nonlinear relationship was found between coffee consumption and AD risk, and the strength of protection peaked at approximately 2.5 cups/day (RR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.59-0.93). A linear relationship was found between tea consumption and cognitive disorders, and the risk decreased by 11% for every 1-cup/day increment.

This meta-analysis demonstrated that the consumption of 2.5 cups coffee/day minimizes the risk of AD, and 1 cup/day of tea intake leads to an 11% reduction in cognitive deficits. Effective interventions involving coffee and tea intake might prevent the occurrence of dementia.