BOSTON: A green tea habit is tied to a lower risk for dementia and mild declines in thinking and memory among older people, a new Japanese study shows. The piping-hot perk doesn’t seem to apply to black tea or coffee, though, the researchers say.
In the study, they looked at the tea- and coffee-drinking habits of people older than 60. The people were grouped by how often they drank green tea: not at all, 1 to 6 days a week, or every day. (The 3 groups didn’t differ by gender, smoking status, alcohol use, or coffee drinking.)
Of the 723 starting participants, 490 completed a follow-up survey. The results showed that drinking green tea 1 to 6 days per week or every day was linked to less mental decline. People who didn’t drink it, on the other hand, scored slightly lower on a thinking and memory test. They also had fewer hobbies and years of education, and they got less exercise, all factors previously tied to worse thinking ability…