Having a few cups of coffee or tea in the morning could lower the risk of stroke and dementia, a new study has revealed.

Researchers from Tianjin Medical University in Tianjin, China, surveyed more than 360,000 participants over a period of 10 to 14 years, and found that those who had 2 to 3 cups of coffee, 3 to 5 cups of tea, or a combination of 4 to 6 cups of coffee or tea a day, had the lowest risk of stroke and dementia.

"Our findings suggested that moderate consumption of coffee and tea separately or in combination were associated with lower risk of stroke and dementia," the researchers said in a statement, reported CNN.

The study showed that people who had a combined of four to six cups of coffee and tea daily had a 28 per cent lower risk of dementia and 32 per cent lower risk of stroke than those who did not drink either beverage.

Participations of the research were healthy participants aged between 50 and 74 who voluntarily reported their beverage drinking habits, and the data was drawn from the UK Biobank, a database of anonymous health information from around half a million volunteers in the United Kingdom gathered between 2006 and 2020.

Over the course of the study period, 5,079 participants developed dementia and 10,053 experienced at least one stroke.

Past research has shown that regular coffee consumption of half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day was associated with a decreased risk of death from heart disease, stroke and early death from any cause compared to non-coffee drinkers.

Previous studies have also shown that three cups of coffee a day can decrease the risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

However, this does not mean that you should spend the whole day sipping on cups of coffee, as a previous study has shown that those who drank more than 6 cups a day were at an increased risk of dementia.

This is because different types of coffee contained different levels of caffeine. The key is moderation, be it tea, or coffee, experts have advised.


Source: CNN
Photo source: Astro Awani