Drink a cup of tea daily if you want to reduce your chances of developing dementia in old age, suggests a study from Singapore. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that daily consumption of tea brewed from tea leaves cuts the risk of developing cognitive decline in the elderly by 50%. And, the risk is reduced even further (by 86%) in those who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease.
“Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person’s risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life,” says Asst. Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore's (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
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The longitudinal study involved 957 Chinese adults aged 55 years or older. The team found that drinking tea regularly reduces the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50%, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer's may have their cognitive impairment risk cut by as much as 86%.
The researchers also found that theneuroprotective role of tea is not limited to a particular type of tea, so long as the tea is brewed from tea leaves, such as green, black (e.g. English Breakfast and Earl Grey), or oolong tea.
“While the study was conducted on Chinese elderly, the results could apply to other races as well,” explains Prof. Lei.
“Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory.”
He adds:
"Based on current knowledge, this long term benefit of tea consumption is due to the bioactive compounds in tea leaves, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine. These compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential and other bioactive properties that may protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."
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In the study, participants, who were community-living elderly, self-reported their tea consumption from 2003 to 2005. Until 2010, these adults were evaluated on their cognitive function using standardised tools at regular intervals of two years.
Researchers also collected information on their lifestyles, medical conditions, physical and social activities. The team carefully controlled these potential confounding factors in statistical models to ensure the potency of the findings.
The long term benefit of teadrinking is thought to be from bioactive compounds found in tea leaves. These compounds may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
It is also thought that other bioactive properties of tea may shield the brain from neurodegeneration and vascular damage.
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“Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers,” explains Prof. Lei.
The team is planning to conduct further studies to better understand the impact of Asian diet on cognitive health in ageing. The researchers are also eager to examine the effects of the bioactive compounds in tea and test them more meticulously through the assessment of their biological markers.
The findings were published in the scientific journal The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
