Green tea and coffee intake and risk of cognitive decline in older adults: the National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Longitudinal Study of Aging

Objective:To examine the association between green tea and coffee intake and cognitive decline in older adults.Design:A prospective cohort study. The average intake of green tea and coffee in the previous year was assessed through a dietitian interview using a dietary questionnaire. A Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was conducted up to six times biennially. Cognitive decline was screened using the MMSE; its incidence was defined as the first time a score of Setting:The National Institute for Longevity Sciences, Longitudinal Study of Aging (NILS-LSA) in Japan.Participants:Men (n 620) and women (n 685), aged 60–85 years, from the NILS-LSA.Results:During a mean of 5·3 (sd 2·9) years of follow-up, 432 incident cases of cognitive decline were observed. Compared with participants who consumed green tea Ptrend < 0·05). No significant association was found between coffee intake and cognitive decline.Conclusions:The intake of green tea, but not coffee, was shown to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults.