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  "path": "/health/dementia-coffee-lower-risk-cups",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-10T15:13:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Blood sugar spikes after meals may raise Alzheimer's risk by 70%, study of 350,000 warns",
    "How simple lifestyle changes could offset menopause-linked dementia risk",
    "Alzheimer's breakthrough as finger-prick blood test could transform diagnosis",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nDrinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee each day, or one to two cups of tea, is linked with the lowest risk of developing dementia, according to a major Harvard University study.\n\nThe research, published in JAMA, suggests that people who enjoy these popular beverages also tend to have sharper mental skills compared to those who don't drink them at all.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"Greater consumption of caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with lower risk of dementia and modestly better cognitive function, with the most pronounced association at moderate intake levels,\" the researchers wrote.\n\nThe findings emerged from a data pool of more than 130,000 American health professionals over an impressive 43-year period. It included around 86,000 female nurses and 45,000 men working in healthcare roles across the United States.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvery two to four years, the respondents filled out questionnaires about their eating and drinking habits, including how much caffeinated coffee, decaf, and tea they consumed. They also underwent cognitive tests to measure their mental sharpness.\n\nOver the course of the follow-up period, 11,033 people in the study developed dementia.\n\nYu Zhang, the study's lead author from Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health, said identifying lifestyle factors that might influence dementia risk is crucial given the limited treatments currently available. But when it came to the numbers, certain findings stood out.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThose who drank the most coffee appeared to have an 18 per cent lower chance of developing dementia compared to people who barely touched the stuff. The biggest drinkers showed a 16 per cent reduced risk.\n\nBoth groups also experienced a slower rate of mental decline over time compared to those who drank the least.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Blood sugar spikes after meals may raise Alzheimer's risk by 70%, study of 350,000 warns\n  * How simple lifestyle changes could offset menopause-linked dementia risk\n  * Alzheimer's breakthrough as finger-prick blood test could transform diagnosis\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAmong the nurses in the study, higher caffeinated coffee intake was also tied to better performance on cognitive tests, with tea showing similar results.\n\nHere's the interesting bit, though – decaf coffee didn't seem to offer any of these benefits, suggesting caffeine itself might be the key ingredient.\n\nBut before you start brewing an extra pot, experts are urging caution about what these findings actually mean.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nDr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: \"This research doesn't prove that coffee or tea protect the brain. This study shows an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship.\"\n\nShe pointed out that coffee and tea drinkers might differ in other ways that affect brain health, and the study was conducted among similar groups of health professionals, limiting how broadly the results apply.\n\nProf Tara Spires-Jones from the UK Dementia Research Institute agreed, noting that observational research like this can't definitively prove caffeine was responsible for the lower dementia risk. Other factors linked to drinking habits could be at play.\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Scientists reveal how many cups of coffee are linked to lower dementia risk"
}