Dietary and Metabolic Influences on Aging and Neurodegeneration (Poster Theater Flash Session 8)

(PTFS08-03-25) Caffeine and Caffeinated Beverages Intake in Relation to Dementia Risk and Cognitive Function in US Women and Men

Monday, June 2, 2025

8:38 AM – 8:42 AM ET

Location: South Hall B (The Hub) - Poster Theater / Poster Board Number PT-3

Presenting Author(s)

YZ

Yu Zhang, MBBS (he/him/his)

Graduate Student
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

YL

Yuxi Li, Dr., PhD

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States
YL

Yanping Li, PhD

Research Scientist
Harvard University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
YL

Yuhan Li

Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, United States
Xiao Gu, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
JK

Jae Hee Kang, Dr.

Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, United States
HE

Heather Eliassen, Prof.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States
ER

Eric B. Rimm, ScD

Professor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
WW

Walter C. Willett, DrPH, MPH, MD

Professor
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Frank B. Hu, MD, MPH, PhD

Chair, Department of Nutrition Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
MS

Meir J. Stampfer, MD, PhD

Professor
Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
DW

Daniel Wang, Prof.

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, United States

Objectives: To evaluate associations of caffeine and caffeinated beverage intake with dementia risk and cognitive function.

Methods: We prospectively followed 131,821 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study (1980–2023) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986–2023), all free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia at baseline. Dietary data on caffeine, caffeinated/decaffeinated coffee, and tea were collected every 2–4 years using validated food frequency questionnaires. Dementia was identified through death records and self-reported physician diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Objective cognitive function was assessed in NHS using telephone-based cognitive interviews, while subjective cognitive decline (SCD) was evaluated in both cohorts using standardized questionnaires.

Results: Over up to 43 years of follow-up, we documented 11,033 dementia cases. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in the highest quartile of caffeine intake (Q4) had a 23% lower risk of dementia compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-0.83; P_trend < 0.001]. The highest intake of caffeinated coffee and tea, compared to the lowest intake, was associated with a 19% (HR: 0.81; 95%CI: 0.75-0.87; P_trend < 0.001) and 14% (HR: 0.86; 95%CI: 0.83-0.90; P_trend < 0.001) lower risk of dementia, respectively. Similarly, the highest quartile of caffeine intake was associated with a 22% lower risk of SCD compared to the lowest quartile [relative risk (RR) = 0.78; 95%CI: 0.72-0.84; P_trend < 0.001]. The highest intake of caffeinated coffee and tea, compared to the lowest intake, was associated with a 14% and 16% lower risk of SCD, respectively (all P_trend < 0.001). In addition, higher caffeine intake was linked to slower objective cognitive aging (-0.20 years per 100mg increment; 95%CI: -0.35, -0.05; P =0.009). Dose-response analyses revealed nonlinear inverse associations of caffeine and caffeinated coffee with dementia, SCD, and cognitive function (all P_nonlinearity < 0.01), with 2-3 cups/day of caffeinated coffee intake offering the greatest cognitive benefits.

Conclusions: Greater consumption of caffeine and caffeinated coffee and tea was associated with a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive function.

Funding Sources: NIH