Could staving off dementia in old age really be that simple?
Recent research has revealed that the simple act of drinking a daily cup of black, green or oolong tea could reduce the risk of cognitive impairment in old age by as much as 86%
In case you’re thinking it sounds too good to be true there’s hard science to back that assertion up. A recent study by the National University of Singapore, led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei and his team, monitored 957 (aged over 55) Chinese people’s tea consumption habits over a two year period and determined that the drinking of black, green or oolong tea massively reduced the onset of dementia.
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Ageing, found that those drinking tea every day reduced their rate of ‘cognitive impairment’ by 50% but, for those who were genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s it reduced the risk by up to 86%
When asked, Assistant Professor Feng Lei commented to say
‘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’.
Whilst the research was focused on tea brewed fresh from leaves (such as black, green or oolong), most varieties of tea contain catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins and L-theanine; compounds all long proven to contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and bioative powers.
The popularity in green tea has already risen recently after it was proven to be a benefit in healthy diets and even aid weight loss by introducing something called polyphenol to your system, which helps speed up the metabolism which in turn allows your body to burn off more of the calories from the food you eat.
It should be noted Assistant Professor Feng Lei did say more research was needed to understand exactly why tea helps heal the brain however until then it’s probably a good idea to follow the people in his study’s example and get the kettle on.
