Consumption of coffee and tea and the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases: a cohort study in the UK biobank

Abstract Background Coffee and tea are among the most consumed drinks worldwide. Increasing evidence indicates an association between coffee or tea intake and neurodegenerative diseases. However, most studies have focused on the association of coffee or tea alone; studies on the interactive associations between coffee and tea and neurodegenerative diseases are few. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the individual or interactive associations between coffee and tea intake and neurodegenerative diseases and their various subtypes. Methods This study included 134,425 participants without neurodegenerative diseases at baseline in UK Biobank. A total of 6483 participants developed neurodegenerative diseases during a median follow-up time of 13.5 years. The median daily coffee intake was two cups, and the median daily tea intake was three cups. A restricted cubic spline was used to explore the nonlinear associations between coffee or tea intake and neurodegenerative diseases. The individual or interactive associations between coffee and tea intake and neurodegenerative diseases were assessed using the Cox proportional-hazards model. Results An individual association was noted between coffee or tea intake and neurodegenerative diseases. A significant J-shaped association was found between coffee intake and all-cause neurodegenerative diseases (Pnonlinear = 0.004) and vascular neurodegenerative diseases (Pnonlinear = 0.023), with increased risk at higher consumption. Moreover, a nonlinear association was observed between tea intake and all-cause neurodegenerative diseases (Pnonlinear = 0.004), vascular neurodegenerative diseases (Pnonlinear = 0.031), other neurodegenerative diseases (Pnonlinear = 0.002), and vascular dementia (VD) (Pnonlinear = 0.026). Furthermore, a significant interactive association was noted between coffee and tea intake among all-cause neurodegenerative diseases (Pinteraction = 0.004); Further, this interaction was also observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Pinteraction = 0.006). Conclusions Excessive coffee consumption was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause neurodegenerative diseases and vascular neurodegenerative diseases. The results also showed that tea intake was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause neurodegenerative disease, vascular neurodegenerative disease, other neurodegenerative diseases, and VD. Moreover, coffee and tea had an interactive relationship with all-cause neurodegenerative diseases and AD, with specific combinations significantly associated with reduced risk of disease onset.