P4-020: Tea consumption and cognitive impairment and decline

Abstract

Background: Laboratory research suggests that tea has potential neuro-cognitive protective effects, but this is not established in humans. Methods: Among community-living Chinese older adults aged 55 in the Singapore Longitudinal Aging Studies (SLAS) cohort, we measured tea consumption at baseline, and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline and 1 to 2 years later. Cognitive impairment was defined as MMSE 23, cognitive decline as MMSE drop 1 point. We performed cross-sectional analysis on baseline data of 2501 participants, and longitudinal analysis on 1438 cognitively intact participants. Odds ratio (OR) of association were calculated in logistic regression models that adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Total tea intake was significantly associated with lower prevalence of cognitive impairment, independent of other risk factors. Compared with those who never or rarely drink teas, the OR for low, medium and high levels of tea intake was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.39-0.76), 0.48 (95% CI: 0.30-0.78) and 0.38 (95% CI: 0.14-1.00) respectively (P for tend 0.001). For cognitive decline, the corresponding OR was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.56-1.02), 0.74 (95% CI: 0.52-1.04) and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.36-1.12), (P for tend 0.037). Both black and green teas were associated with lower prevalence of cognitive impairment in cross-sectional analysis, but only black tea was associated with lower risk of cognitive decline. In contrast, no association between coffee intake and cognitive status was found. Conclusions: Regular tea consumption was associated with lower risks of cognitive impairment and decline.