Drinking Tea Daily May Prevent You from Risk of Dementia

For most of us, it is almost customary to wake up in the morning and have a cup of piping hot tea as the first thing. It is like an energy booster, helping you get rid of lethargy and making you kickstart your day. Of course there are various ways of preparing tea, each unique in terms of flavour and method of preparation. While some commonly add in a mix of immunity boosting spices, others skip the caffeine and opt for herbal teas sans milk and sugar. Tea leaves are known to contain various beneficial compounds, such as catechins and theaflavins that are considered to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. These compounds can prove to be helpful for our health and well-being.

According to a new study by National University of Singapore, drinking just one cup of tea daily may significantly lower the risk of dementia by 50 percent. The findings indicate that those carrying the gene of dementia can also slash their likelihood of developing toxic cltumps in their brain by as much as 86 percent with daily intake of tea.

Catechins and theaflavins "may help to protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration," said lead researcher Dr Feng Lei. "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."

They analysed 957 adults over the age of 55 for 12 years and collected information on their lifestyles, medical conditions and physical activities. The participants were assessed after every two years on their cognitive function using standardised tools. The new report shows that long-term intake of tea helps to fill the body with powerful antioxidants that boost cognitive function.

"Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory," Lei stated.

However, it could also prevent Parkinson's and other neurological disorders, an analysis funded by six of Europe's biggest coffee companies found. The findings were published in journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.