Two cups of drinks a day can lower your risk
Drinking two cups of coffee and two tea a day can reduce the risk of stroke and dementia by a third, according to a new study. Chinese researchers monitored half a million Britons for ten years and found that those who drank two servings of coffee and tea a day had one-third less stroke and decreased their chances of developing dementia.
A new study has shown that drinking two cups of coffee and tea a day can reduce the risk of stroke and dementia. According to the Daily Mail, Chinese researchers have been monitoring 500,000 Britons for over ten years, monitoring their health. Volunteers were also asked about their hot drinks consumption.
The results showed that participants who drank two cups of coffee and two cups of tea a day had one-third fewer strokes. And their chances of developing dementia were 28 percent lower. Drinking coffee or tea alone also provided some benefit, even if adults only consumed one drink a day.
But the team, led by Dr. Yuan Zhang, acknowledged that the results may have been coincidental. Scientists say, “Our results showed that moderate consumption of coffee / tea, alone or in combination, was associated with a lower risk of stroke and dementia.”
The study was conducted by scientists at Tianjin Medical University and published in the journal PLoS Medicine. The researchers selected participants between the ages of 50 and 74 and added them to the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010. The volunteers, who were asked about their nutrition at first registration, were not monitored for ten years to see if they still drink the same amount of coffee and tea. They were also not asked if they added milk or sugar to their drinks. Participants who drank coffee and tea were compared to those who did not drink hot drinks.
Independent experts have warned that the study cannot prove that drinking coffee or tea prevents dementia and stroke – instead, it simply highlights the presence of a connection.
Dr. Charlotte Mills, a nutritional expert at the University of Reading, comments: “There may be other factors at work.” But the expert acknowledged that the findings “are consistent” with other studies that have examined the benefits of drinking coffee and tea.
Many studies have previously suggested that coffee and tea may reduce the risk of dementia. But some experts warn that excessive consumption of popular drinks may actually increase your risk.
A study in Australia in July found that drinking more than six cups of coffee a day increased the likelihood of developing dementia in people by 53 percent.
It is unclear why coffee and tea can reduce the likelihood of stroke and dementia, the Daily Mail notes. However, some experts have pointed to the polyphenols in hot drinks, which are also found in blueberries and cocoa, which studies show may reduce the risk of neurodegenerative conditions.
Dr. Rosa Sancho, study leader at Alzheimer’s Research UK, says: “Studies like this cannot pinpoint cause and effect. While researchers have tried to control other factors that may affect the risk of stroke and vascular dementia, it is not clear whether tea or coffee is responsible for this lower risk. ” She added: “Participants only reported tea and coffee consumption at the start of the study. There is no data on long-term habits, so it is unclear how relevant the results are for long-term brain health. ”
According to the Daily Mail, more than 850,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia, including one in six over 80, caused by an abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain that prevents nerve cells from functioning properly. Around 100,000 Britons each year suffer from a stroke, which occurs as a result of a blockage in a blood vessel, due to which there is not enough oxygen.
.