More than just voluptuous drinks, coffee and tea can become a real choice for well-being. In fact, it has been observed that drinking coffee and tea reduces the risk of heart attack and developing dementia, as emerges from a very recent scientific research published in the journal PLOS Medicine (Zhang et al, PLOS Medicine, Nov 2021).
The properties of coffee and tea
Coffee and tea are among the most consumed beverages in the world. Coffee contains caffeine but is also a valuable source of antioxidants. In addition to caffeine, tea, both green and black, also contains catechins and flavonoids with a neuroprotective action. In fact, these beneficial substances counteract all those processes that are considered the cause of the development of dementia and Alzheimer's, such as oxidative stress, inflammation and the aggregation of beta amyloid proteins. Given these properties, the researchers sought to understand the action of coffee and tea, taken separately or in combination, on heart and brain health.
Coffee and tea prevent heart attack and neurodegeneration, here's the study
Scientists analyzed data about health, lifestyle and nutrition of 365682 people, participating in a large study performed in the UK from 2006 to 2020. What emerged is that those who drank 2-3 cups of coffee per day, or 3-5 cups of tea, green or black, or a combination of 4-6 cups of coffee and tea had the lowest incidence of dementia and heart attack. In particular, the combined action of tea and coffee led to a 32% reduction in the risk of heart attack and a 28% reduction in the risk of dementia compared to those who did not drink tea and coffee. Not only that, drinking coffee alone or in combination with tea has also been shown to reduce the risk of dementia that could follow after a heart attack.
Conclusions
So, a moderate consumption of coffee and tea, separately or in combination, protects the brain and heart, helping to prevent heart attacks and neurodegenerations.
