Popular drink you could be having every day has been linked to 'cognitive decline'

A recent study has raised eyebrows with its findings that guzzling down too much coffee could lead to cognitive decline in older adults. The US research, which involved over 8,000 participants aged 60 and above, suggests that more than three cups of coffee a day might not be such a good idea for brain health.

Presented at the 2024 Alzheimer's Association International Conference, the study found that heavy coffee drinkers struggled more with pattern recognition, logical thinking, and abstract reasoning - all key indicators of cognitive health.

But it's not all doom and gloom for coffee lovers. The same study also found that moderate coffee drinking defined as up to three cups per day might actually help fend off cognitive decline.

After tracking participants for around nine years, researchers noticed that those who never touched coffee and those who enjoyed it in moderation experienced a slower drop in cognitive abilities.

Kelsey R. Sewell PhD, one of the study's investigators, pointed out: "We can see that those with high coffee consumption showed the steepest decline in fluid intelligence across the follow-up."

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Fluid intelligence, which encompasses problem-solving and reasoning skills, appeared to be significantly affected by excessive coffee intake.

Sewell further told the Express: "Our data suggests that, across this time period, moderate coffee consumption can serve as some kind of protective factor against cognitive decline."

Tea lovers, take note: a recent study has found that those who never indulge in a cuppa could see a sharper decline in their cognitive abilities over time.

On the flip side, moderate to high tea consumption seems to be linked with better brain health, although researchers, including Sewell, are treading carefully with these findings, saying: "We still need randomised controlled trials to better understand the neuroprotective mechanism of coffee and tea."

The research, which is based on observational data and doesn't account for changes in participants' tea and coffee habits from early adulthood, suggests that enjoying a few cups of coffee might actually be good for your grey matter or at least not harmful.

However, when it comes to those who love their java a little too much, the study observed a definite trend towards poorer brain health in individuals over 60 during an 8.8-year follow-up, indicating that moderation is key.