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For anyone who has ever had a relative that has suffered from Alzheimers, you know it is a devastating disease.  It is impossibly difficult to watch your loved one suffer.  My grandmother and my grandmother in law both suffered from Alzheimers.  Knowing that genetics can play a part in risk factors, I want to do all I can to decrease the risk for my family.  That is why when I found some great information on Alzheimers and tea, I just had to share it here.  The study is below.  It turns out that tea drinkers fared much better with cognitive decline.  Thankfully there are many flavors to choose from, and I will be sharing a cup of tea with my family every day!

Alzheimer's Association Report on 2010 International Conference:

"The researchers found that people who consumed tea at a variety of levels had significantly less cognitive decline (17-37 percent) than non-tea drinkers. More specifically, study participants who drank tea 5-10 times/year, 1-3 times/month, 1-4 times/week, and 5+ times/week had average annual rates of decline 17 percent, 32 percent, 37 percent, and 26 percent lower, respectively, than non-tea drinkers.

According to the scientists, coffee consumption did not show any effect except at the very highest level of consumption – where it was associated with significantly decreased decline of 20 percent.

"The suggestion of a positive effect of tea consumption in slowing cognitive decline requires further investigation," Arab said. "Interestingly, the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels 2-3 times higher than in tea."

USA TODAY for July 12, 2010 reports on studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Honolulu. 

In a study by UCLA of “more than 4800 men and women ages 65 and older, participants were followed for up to 14 years. Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had an average annual rate of decline 37% lower than people who didn’t drink tea. Coffee didn’t show any influence except at the highest levels of consumption...the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels two to three times higher than in tea.”

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