A long-term study published in JAMA Network and reported by Deník followed around 131,000 people from the United Kingdom and the United States for up to 43 years.
The participants, who primarily worked in the healthcare sector, regularly reported their consumption of coffee and tea.
Over the study period, more than 11,000 cases of dementia were recorded, corresponding to 8.4 percent of participants.
The aim was to examine how daily habits may be linked to brain function.
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Uncertainty in the results
Researchers and other experts emphasize that the findings cannot be interpreted as a direct causal relationship.
The study is based on observations rather than controlled experiments. In addition, self-reported data may affect accuracy.
It is also noted that the results do not necessarily apply to the entire population, as the participants share a relatively uniform background.
Caffeinated beverages
The findings show that individuals with a moderate intake of caffeinated beverages had a lower incidence of dementia, as well as slightly better performance in memory and cognitive tests.
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The lowest risk was observed among those who consumed around two to three cups of coffee or one to two cups of tea per day. This association was not found for decaffeinated coffee.
Moderate daily consumption of coffee or tea may be associated with a lower risk of dementia, but it does not prove a direct protective effect.
Sources: Deník and JAMA Network.
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