Drinking This Popular Beverage May Drop Dementia Risk

Can drinking tea prevent dementia? The antioxidants present in tea reduce inflammation in the brain to lower dementia progression.

Highlights:

As a widely consumed regular beverage, tea provides many health benefits
The association between tea consumption and dementia risk remained unknown
Researchers found the hidden potential of tea in lowering the risk of dementia

People who consumed tea were 16% less likely to develop different forms of dementia when compared with those who did not drink tea, according to a study published in Translational Psychiatry.

Dementia - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Dementia has become a very big concern as we have an aging population across the world. Dementia is also terrifying to us because of its disturbing symptoms and limited treatment options.

‘Drinking six cups of tea a day lowered the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 16–19%, and vascular dementia by 25–29%.’
Read More..

Dementia is Making Aging Anxious

Aging is unavoidable,which makes us feel scared at times and the associated health risks make it more challenging to enjoy. Dementia is one of the top health concerns in the aging population, affecting nearly 55 million people worldwide and almost 10 million new cases each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These facts show that dementia has become a global concern().

The disease is represented by memory loss, disability, and increased dependence on others, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for nearly 60–70% of cases. People develop dementia due to both genetic and environmental factors, but there are preventative measures to take. Healthy choices in your 40s may make a significant difference in your dementia risk().

Control high blood pressure and address diabetes
Quit smoking
Refrain from alcohol
Get moving
Achieve and maintain a healthy weight

The new study has looked into the protective effects of a commonly consumed beverage on brain function. Read on and learn about the drink that could reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Dementia Risk Calculator
Dementia Risk Calculator is a tool to find out the risk of dementia among people over the age of 65.It also provides diet tips on Dementia.

Are Drinks Really Dementia Friendly?

Several studies have earlier probed to find how certain foods, drinks, and lifestyle factors contribute to individual dementia risk. A study in 2017 suggested that consuming diet soda every day could increase dementia risk three times. In addition, researchers also recently found that people who started heavy drinking alcohol later in their life may already have dementia().

After knowing these things, you might think of sticking to water from now onwards, but another study shows a popular beverage that could protect you from dementia.

Can Early Menopause Increase Dementia risk
Women who enter menopause at an early age are at a greater risk of developing dementia.

Tea Could be the Gamechanger in Dementia

The study included 377,592 participants from the UK Biobank (UKB), who had a mean age of 58.49 years. During the follow-up period of 9 years, 5,122 participants developed dementia.

Information about tea consumption was collected by asking how many cups of tea they drank each day (including black and green tea) via a touchscreen questionnaire, with approximately 85.1% reported consuming tea.

Based on the responses, participants were divided into:

Non-drinkers
One to two cups a day
Three to four cups a day
Seven to eight cups a day
Nine or more cups a day

Researchers found a “U-shaped association” between cups of tea and dementia risk, and six cups a day showed the most potent protective effect against dementia. This means the ideal amount to cut down the dementia risk was six cups of tea daily().

They did not observe a notable difference in dementia risk between those who consumed more than six cups of tea and those who did not drink tea.

These findings support tea consumption as a potentially modifiable lifestyle factor, which means you can make changes to control dementia risk.

High Fiber Diet can Lower Demnentia Risk
Consuming higher levels of dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, can lower the risk of developing dementia.

Nutrition Power of Tea

The protective effects of tea may come from the antioxidative property of tea (partially due to caffeine), and the potential to reduce inflammation in the brain, which plays a major role in dementia progression. The amino acid l-theanine extracted from tea leaves has also proven to improve brain function.(4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Tea

Go to source)

The study also has some limitations, such as tea consumption may have changed throughout the follow-up period, as habits were only reported at the start of the study. Just asking how many “cups” participants drank did not need a universal measurement, and no information was collected on the type of tea, which researchers might explore in future research.

If you enjoy a cup of tea daily, then start your day with a cup of tea or have a relaxing cup of tea in the evening to wind up your day. Learning this practice could benefit your brain function and overall health as you age.

References:

Dementia - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia)
Sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages and the risks of incident stroke and dementia: A prospective cohort study - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5405737/)
Tea consumption and risk of incident dementia: A prospective cohort study of 377 592 UK Biobank participants - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-022-01923-z)
Tea - (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/tea/)
Dementia Prevention: Reduce Your Risk, Starting Now - (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/dementia/dementia-prevention-reduce-your-risk)

Source-Medindia