Sunny Health

Last week, a study released by the National University of Singapore declared that tea can prevent Alzheimer's disease, commonly known as dementia. With dementia becoming increasingly common, and its devastating symptoms, this is certainly a welcome piece of news. Is it really reliable though? The study was after all, only conducted on 950 seniors aged 55 years and above for seven years.

Results indicated that regular consumption of tea lowers risk of cognitive decline by 50 per cent. Those who genetically at risk of developing dementia may experience up to 86 per cent reduction in their risk of getting dementia.

The even better news is that this is in fact not the first time that such a study on the effects of caffeine has been conducted, and results have been consistent. According to Psychology Today, consumption of tea and coffee lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, which is a type of dementia, if you drink five to six cups of coffee per day for many years. Tea is found to have a better effect than coffee, though the difference between both is really minor. For reducing the chance of developing Alzheimer's, you'd just require at least two to three cups a day.

In fact, caffeine might not even be the substance that leads to the reduction in risk of dementia, for both beverages also contain biologically active substances like trigonelline and pyrogallic acid and antioxidants chlorogenic, coumaric, ferrulic, and sinapic acids and silverskin. These are all healthy substances.

The catch is that you should be drinking tea brewed from tea bags, and coffee brewed from coffee beans. So instants and fancy drinks like mocha might not really count due to the added number of numerous other substances.

Then there is also another study done in the UK, whereby those who drank two or three cups of black tea a day were less than half as likely to have early signs of dementia as those who never or rarely drank it. The article said that it was polyphenols in tea that had a beneficial effect against dementia, and green tea happens to be rich in these. It is assumed that Polyphenols work against dementia by preventing oxidation of brain cells, and blocking the build up of brain deposits. This study, however, states that coffee has no effect against dementia.

 So why aren't healthcare institutions and authorities encouraging the consumption of more tea?

The Alzheimer's Society in the UK warns against taking these studies at face value. The studies are often only done on a specific group of people, and media often exaggerates the impact.The best way to research the impact of tea on Alzheimer's is to have a randomnised controlled trial. Participants would be randomly split into two groups, one that drinks tea regularly, and one that doesn't, and they will be monitored over time. This is the only way to accurately determine the cause and effect. To date, there has been no such study done, despite numerous observation studies on caffeine and tea.
That is certainly a damper. But in any case, tea and coffee, especially tea, are generally harmless and far healthier beverages than soda and alcohol. There is no harm in drinking some tea everyday, as long as you don't do so before bedtime when it could cause insomnia. Green tea especially is renowned for a myriad of health benefits, from weight loss to bringing down cholesterol. Who knows, perhaps there is some truth in those studies.