Can Coffee Protect Your Brain? New 37-Year JAMA Study Reveals Surprising Benefits

A large-scale study of over 131,000 adults links moderate coffee consumption to lower dementia risk and improved long-term cognitive health.

A study published on February 9, 2026, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provides the strongest evidence to date on the link between coffee consumption and brain health. Conducted by researchers from Mass General Brigham, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, this prospective cohort study followed 131,821 healthy adults over a median period of nearly 37 years.

Main finding

Participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee (around 2.5 cups per day) had an 18% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who drank little or no coffee at all. The cognitive benefits were most pronounced among participants younger than 75 years old. High coffee and tea consumers also showed lower rates of subjective cognitive decline, including memory loss.

What exactly does coffee contain that may explain these effects?

Coffee contains several bioactive compounds that may help protect brain health:

• Caffeine, which may help prevent the accumulation of pathological markers associated with Alzheimer’s disease

• Polyphenols (such as chlorogenic acid and flavonoids), which reduce brain inflammation and oxidative stress — two key mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration

• Diterpenes (cafestol and kahweol), compounds that have demonstrated strong neuroprotective effects in animal models

  An important note: despite these findings, the authors do not encourage non-coffee drinkers to start consuming coffee.

  
  

How does this benefit Cameroonians?

Coffee is a major part of Cameroon’s economy and cultural heritage. The country produces both Arabica coffee (mainly in the Western Highlands) and Robusta coffee (primarily in forest regions), much of which is exported internationally. However, domestic coffee consumption remains relatively low.

The findings of this study provide an additional argument for promoting the local consumption of high-quality Cameroonian coffee as a functional beverage that may support cognitive health in adults.

Although the study is observational and does not prove direct causality, its long follow-up period (up to 43 years), large sample size (131,821 participants), and rigorous methodology make it one of the strongest references currently available on this topic.

References

• Zhang Y et al. Coffee and Tea Intake, Dementia Risk, and Cognitive Function. JAMA, 2026;335(11):961. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.27259.

• Harvard Gazette. Drinking 2–3 cups of coffee a day is tied to lower dementia risk. news.harvard.edu, February 2026.

• Mass General Brigham. Consuming 2–3 Cups of Coffee Daily Associated with Lower Dementia Risk. massgeneralbrigham.org, February 2026.

• ScienceDirect. Coffee and tea consumption and risk of dementia: a dose-response meta-analysis. ScienceDirect, 2026.

• Socała et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Coffee Bioactive Compounds: A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021;22(1):107. Socała et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Coffee Bioactive Compounds: A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021;22(1):107. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33374338/