Moderate coffee and tea consumption is associated with slower cognitive decline

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Coffee and tea are globally popular beverages with potential neuroprotective properties attributed to anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress effects.
• Understanding the long-term impact of habitual coffee and tea consumption on cognitive health in aging populations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between different levels of coffee and tea intake and cognitive function decline in older adults.
• To explore potential neuroprotective effects of coffee and tea consumption on specific cognitive domains.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal prospective cohort study involving 8715 dementia-free older adults (aged 60.0–85.2 years) from the UK Biobank.
• Participants self-reported coffee and tea intake (never, moderate: 1-3 cups/day, high: ≥4 cups/day) and underwent cognitive assessments at two or more time points over a mean of 9.11 years.

Main Results:

• Moderate coffee consumption (1-3 cups/day) and never consuming coffee were associated with slower fluid intelligence decline.
• Moderate (1-3 cups/day) and high (≥4 cups/day) tea consumption were linked to slower fluid intelligence decline.
• Never and moderate coffee consumers showed a slower increase in pairs matching errors compared to high consumers.

Conclusions:

• Moderate coffee intake and moderate to high tea intake may act as protective factors against cognitive decline in older adults.
• Findings suggest a potential benefit of regular coffee and tea consumption for maintaining cognitive function, particularly fluid intelligence and memory.
• Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to establish causality and inform evidence-based recommendations on coffee and tea consumption for cognitive health.