Coffee, Tea May Slash Stroke, Dementia Risks, Says Study

Drinking coffee or tea may lower a person's risk for stroke and dementia, a study published Tuesday by the journal PLOS Medicine found, Brian P. Dunleavy reported for United Press International (UPI).

Photo Insert: Good news for coffee and tea addicts!

Drinking coffee also was associated with lower risk dementia, or memory loss and reduced cognitive function, after a stroke, the researchers said.

People who drank two or three cups of coffee or three to five cups of tea per day, or a combination of four to six cups of coffee and tea, had up to a 20% lower risk for stroke or dementia compared with those who consumed neither beverage, the data showed.

Those who drank two to three cups of each beverage daily -- about the amount recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- had a 32% lower risk for stroke and 28% reduced risk for dementia compared with non-drinkers, according to the researchers.

The dietary guidelines are drafted by the federal Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.

Intake of coffee alone or in combination with tea was also associated with lower risk for post-stroke, or vascular, dementia, which occurs following a stroke, of up to 40%, the researchers said.

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