New research suggests that your daily cup of coffee or tea might be doing more than just waking you up—it could be protecting your brain from dementia.
A comprehensive study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that moderate consumption of caffeinated beverages was associated with a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive function over time.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard analyzed data from 131,821 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, with follow-up periods extending up to 43 years.
The findings showed that people who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who drank little or no coffee. Similarly, those who drank one to two cups of tea daily showed a 14% reduction in dementia risk.
“When searching for possible dementia prevention tools, we thought something as prevalent as coffee may be a promising dietary intervention,” said senior author Dr. Daniel Wang, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School.
Interestingly, the study found no significant benefits associated with decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that caffeine might be the key protective ingredient. The research also revealed that coffee and tea drinkers had a lower prevalence of subjective cognitive decline—8% versus 10% in non-drinkers.
The cognitive benefits appeared consistent regardless of genetic predisposition to dementia. “We 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,” said lead author Yu Zhang, a student at Harvard Chan School and research trainee at Mass General Brigham.
Experts stress that coffee and tea should complement, not replace, established brain-healthy behaviors like regular physical activity, good sleep hygiene, not smoking, managing blood pressure and diabetes, staying socially engaged, and maintaining overall diet quality.
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