Coffee and tea are popular beverages all over the world, and stroke and dementia impact millions of individuals worldwide. A new study looked into the link between coffee and tea consumption and stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia. The scientists discovered a somewhat weak link between drinking these beverages and the risk of dementia and stroke.
According to a study of healthy people aged 50 to 74 published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine, drinking coffee or tea may be connected with a lower risk of stroke and dementia. Coffee consumption was also linked to a decreased risk of post-stroke dementia.
Strokes are potentially fatal events that account for 10% of all fatalities worldwide. Dementia is a broad term encompassing symptoms associated with a loss in brain function, and it is a major public health concern with a significant economic and social cost. Post-stroke dementia is a condition in which dementia symptoms appear after a stroke.
Our findings revealed that moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination was related with a lower risk of stroke and dementia. According to the study drinking coffee or tea may be connected with a lower risk of stroke and dementia. Coffee consumption was also linked to a decreased risk of post-stroke dementia.
Yuan Zhang
Yuan Zhang and colleagues from Tianjin Medical University in Tianjin, China, investigated 365,682 UK Biobank members recruited between 2006 and 2010, and followed them until 2020. Participants self-reported their coffee and tea consumption at the start of the study. Over the course of the trial, 5,079 people got dementia, and 10,053 had at least one stroke.
People who drank 2-3 cups of coffee or 3-5 cups of tea per day, or a combination of 4-6 cups of coffee and tea had the lowest incidence of stroke or dementia. Individuals who drank 2-3 cups of coffee and 2-3 cups of tea daily had a 32% lower risk of stroke (HR, 0.68, 95% CI, 0.59-0.79; P <0.001) and a 28% lower risk of dementia (HR, 0.72, 95% CI, 0.59-0.89; P =0.002) compared with those who drank neither coffee nor tea. Intake of coffee alone or in combination with tea was also associated with lower risk of post-stroke dementia.
Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and it is the sixth greatest cause of death. Dementia is a catch-all term for a group of symptoms that are characterized by gradual cognitive loss. It is primarily a problem for the elderly.
The UK Biobank represents a highly healthy sample in comparison to the overall population, which may limit the capacity to generalize these findings. Furthermore, because so few persons had dementia or stroke, it can be difficult to extrapolate rates properly to larger populations. Finally, while coffee and tea drinking may be protective against stroke, dementia, and post-stroke dementia, the relationships cannot be used to infer causality.
“Our findings revealed that moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination was related with a lower risk of stroke and dementia,” the authors write.
When the blood supply to the brain is cut off or a blood artery in the brain breaks, a stroke ensues. As a result, brain tissue dies or gets harmed. Stroke and dementia share over 60% of the same risk and preventative variables. Stroke also raises the likelihood of acquiring dementia. According to researchers, preventing patients from suffering a stroke could avoid one-third of dementia cases.
Consumption of tea and coffee is one such lifestyle component. Many people around the world consume tea or coffee on a regular basis, thus even a minor potential effect might have a large population impact. According to the authors of the current study, drinking more tea or coffee is related with a lower incidence of dementia. However, there has been little investigation into whether a mix of tea and coffee has the same impact.
Furthermore, the study authors point out that previous research has been conflicting regarding whether coffee and tea consumption is connected with a lower risk of stroke. As a result, the researchers conducted a study on the association between dementia and stroke risk and tea, coffee, and a mix of tea and coffee use.
