People often wonder how they can prevent dementia and what they can do to lower their risk of cognitive decline. Diet is one area you can look to answer this question. One potential drink in particular to consider: Tea.
Can drinking tea prevent dementia? It’s time to spill the tea and talk about what the real deal is when it comes to drinking tea and dementia.
Diet and Dementia
Dementia research has been exploring the ways diet and dementia are related for decades. It has been shown that what you eat and drink can play a role in your future risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Some foods seem to have brain-enhancing characteristics, spurring cognition and showing a connection to increased gray matter. Other food and drinks seem potentially harmful, with correlations that tie them to higher rates of dementia and worse brain functioning.
Let’s look at where tea falls on this spectrum of foods for dementia.
The Protective Power of Tea
Good news for anyone who enjoys a cup of tea with their breakfast, or as a way to wind down at the end of the night: Frequent tea drinking is associated with a lower risk of dementia. Research has shown that those who drink tea on a regular basis score higher on a variety of cognitive tests. Tea drinkers also have a 50% lower risk of dementia, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
And even more good news: It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of tea you drink. There isn’t just one type of tea that is good for your brain. The same protective effects and brain benefits were shown for people who drink black tea, green tea, and oolong tea.
How Much Tea to Drink
What does seem to matter, though, is the amount of tea being consumed. The research shows that the more often someone consumes tea, the more benefits they seem to reap. Those who drank tea daily had the best results.
Final Thoughts on Tea and Dementia
So it seems tea drinkers may have cause to celebrate, knowing that their daily beverage is possibly boosting their brain and protecting them from dementia. Tea has numerous benefits, and preventing dementia may just be the newest one to add to the list.
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