How not to get dementia

There's never been a better reason to switch the kettle on.

Tea drinking reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older persons by 50 per cent and as much as 86 per cent for those who are genetically at risk of Alzheimer’s, new research concludes.

Drinking a cup of tea each day may substantially lower your risk of dementia, new research suggests. Consuming the popular beverage reduces the chances of getting the debilitating disease by 50 per cent, scientists found. While those carrying the 'dementia gene' can slash their likelihood of developing toxic clumps in their brain by as much as 86 per cent. And it doesn't matter whether you prefer green tea or black - it all has the same effect on the brain, according to a recent study led by Assistant Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine at National University of Singapore.

"While the study was conducted on 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 years or older, the results could apply to other races as well. Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory. Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. 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," explained the lead researcher. “Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers."