Coffee and Tea May Lower Dementia Risk in Hypertensives

Researchers used data from 453,913 participants in the United Kingdom (UK) Biobank to examine the relationship between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of dementia in hypertensives. Dementia is defined as a decline in mental ability that affects daily life. The study was published in the Scientific Reports.

Contexthy
A third of individuals globally suffer from hypertension, which is associated with a higher risk of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease (a brain ailment that causes memory loss and cognitive decline). Reducing hypertension could result in a 40% decrease in dementia incidence.

Due to their ability to preserve neurons and lower inflammation, caffeine and chlorogenic acid, which are found in coffee and tea, may help prevent dementia. To validate the impact of these drinks on the risk of dementia in hypertensive people, more study is necessary.

About the Study

The UK Biobank project is a population-based study that included participants from Wales, England, and Scotland between 2006 and 2010 who were between the ages of 39 and 74. In addition to filling out questionnaires and undergoing physical examinations, participants’ health outcomes were regularly tracked using electronic records from registries for deaths, hospitalizations, and primary care.

In order to investigate the effects of genetics and lifestyle on diseases in middle-aged and older persons, the UK Biobank has gathered a vast amount of genetic and health data. With clearance from the North West Multi-Centre Research Ethics Committee, the study complies with the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration and was given informed consent by all participants.

Out of the 502,370 people who were first enrolled, some were removed due to incomplete baseline data, absentee blood pressure readings, secondary hypertension, incomplete data on coffee and tea intake, or a dementia diagnosis at baseline. As a consequence, a final cohort of 453,913 individuals was formed, and they were tracked until April 2024, averaging 15.12 years.

Blood pressure readings, hospital records, and self-reported data were used to determine the patient’s status for hypertension. A food frequency questionnaire was used to gauge the amount of coffee and tea consumed, and hospitalization and primary care records were used to identify dementia diagnoses.

In both hypertension and non-hypertensive people, the association between caffeine intake—which includes tea, coffee, and tea—with the risk of dementia was examined using Cox proportional risk regression models.

In conclusion
In summary, this study found that people with hypertension were more likely than people without hypertension to experience dementia. In the general population, coffee and tea consumption was linked to a lower incidence of dementia. Those with hypertension who consumed 0.5-1 cup of coffee or 4-5 cups of tea per day had the lowest risk.

The risk of vascular and all-cause dementia was significantly correlated with coffee and tea drinking, and this correlation was more pronounced in hypertensive persons than in non-hypertensive adults.

Furthermore, there was no correlation found between the temperature of hot drinks and the risk of dementia, and consumption of ground coffee was associated with the lowest risk of both vascular and all-cause dementia.

For more information: Association between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of dementia in individuals with hypertension: a prospective cohort study,  Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-71426-y