Health Benefits Of Coffee And Tea

A study has shown that drinking coffee or tea or a combination of the two may be related to a lower risk for stroke and dementia.
Researchers from China’s Tianjin Medical University studied 365,682 participants from the United Kingdom Biobank, aged from 50 to 74. All the participants reported their coffee and tea intake habits.
During an average follow-up of 11.4 years for new-onset disease, 5,079 participants developed dementia and 10,053 had at least one stroke.
According to the study published in PLOS Medicine, people who drank two to three cups of coffee or three to five cups of tea every day, or a combination of four to six cups of coffee and tea, had the lowest incidence of stroke or dementia.
Compared with those who drank neither coffee nor tea, people who drank two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea daily had a 32 per cent lower risk of stroke and a 28 per cent lower risk of dementia.
Meanwhile, a lower risk of post-stroke dementia was associated with drinking coffee alone or in combination with tea, according to the study. The researchers also evaluated the link of coffee types with stroke and dementia.
Among ground coffee, instant coffee and decaffeinated coffee, they found that ground coffee drinkers were associated with a much lower risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, while tea contains caffeine and catechin which have neuroprotective properties, such as anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects.
Nonetheless, there can be side effects to consuming these hot beverages based on their caffeine content. Caffeine can cause anxiety, insomnia and an irregular heartbeat. In addition, coffee (both regular and decaf) can irritate the digestive tract, bladder and prostate. The side effects of high caffeine consumption apply equally to coffee and tea. However, you would have to consume many more cups of tea to equal those same high levels of caffeine found in coffee.
In summary, drinking coffee and tea provide a number of excellent health benefits with few side effects that can be managed by switching to herbal tea or decaf coffee. A caveat: Plain black coffee and tea are naturally low in calories, approximately two calories per 8-ounce cup. However, once you start adding sugar, milk and other additions you are likely consuming between 400 and 600 calories.
Cheers to you, enjoy a cup (or three) of coffee or tea with a friend and relish the benefits.

By Kevin Nengia