Study says 2-3 cups of coffee a day lowers risk of dementia

by

A recent, large study suggests that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily, or one to two cups of tea, may lower the risk of dementia, help maintain thinking skills as you age, and support overall brain health.

A study published in the journal JAMA followed over 131,000 people for many years. Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard led the analysis.

Researchers studied data from long-term diet surveys – some spanning over 43 years – and linked it to participants’ mental health, including instances of dementia, reported memory problems, and results from thinking skills tests. They then looked for differences between people who drank caffeinated coffee or tea, and those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

As a gamer, I’m always looking for ways to stay sharp, and we were exploring if something as common as coffee could actually help prevent dementia. Luckily, we had access to some really amazing long-term study data – over 40 years worth! – that let us really investigate that idea. Basically, we thought, ‘Hey, so many of us drink coffee anyway, could it actually be good for our brains?’

Okay, so the research is looking pretty good, but it’s not a huge effect. Basically, just drinking coffee or tea isn’t going to magically keep your brain young! There are lots of things you can do to help keep your mind sharp as you get older, and this study just suggests that enjoying a cup of coffee or tea could be one small part of a healthy lifestyle for your brain.

Researchers followed more than 130,000 adults for up to 43 years

During the study, 11,033 participants were diagnosed with dementia. People who drank the most caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower chance of developing dementia compared to those who drank very little or none. They also reported fewer issues with memory and thinking – 7.8% of caffeinated coffee drinkers experienced cognitive decline, compared to 9.5% of those who drank little to no caffeinated coffee.

People who drink coffee tended to score better on tests measuring overall brain function. Drinking tea showed similar results, but decaf coffee didn’t seem to have the same effect.

Researchers believe caffeine might be responsible for this effect, but they emphasize that more research is needed to understand exactly how it works.

People who drank between two and three cups of coffee, or one to two cups of tea, daily showed the most noticeable connections. Surprisingly, this study didn’t find that drinking a lot of caffeine had any negative impact on thinking skills, unlike some previous research.

The study also looked at individuals with varying genetic risks for dementia and found similar positive effects from coffee or caffeine, suggesting it’s likely helpful for everyone, regardless of their genetic predisposition, according to lead author Yu Zhang, a student at Harvard Chan School and researcher at Mass General Brigham.

Researchers are heavily focused on preventing dementia because treatments are currently limited once someone starts showing symptoms. This pushes them to study how things like diet and what people drink over a long period might play a role in prevention.

If you don’t enjoy coffee, some cheeses might help protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and believe it or not, even smelling your own gas could offer benefits. However, eating a lot of cheese might lead to bad dreams.

Read More

2026-02-11 20:19