As a widely consumed beverage,
tea boasts diverse health benefits. Herein, we aimed to investigate the association between
tea consumption and
dementia risk. We conducted a prospective cohort study with 377 592 UK Biobank participants during a 9-year follow-up. Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, Townsend deprivation index, education, body mass index, lifestyle factors, dietary factors and
apolipoprotein E4 status were used to examine the association of
tea consumption with
dementia risk. Subgroup analyses stratified by age, sex and forms of
dementia (Alzheimer's disease [AD] and
vascular dementia [VD]) were performed. Moreover, the restricted cubic splines were used to calculate the nonlinear relationship between daily dosage of
tea and
dementia risk. After adjustment for all covariates,
tea drinkers were 16% (95% confidence interval: 8-23) less likely to develop
dementia compared with non-drinkers. Moderate consumption (1-6 cups/day) of
tea exerted significant protective effects. Subgroup analyses showed that mid-aged participants or males benefited more from
tea consumption. Moreover, moderate drinkers had a 16-19% lower hazard of AD and a 25-29% lower hazard of VD. Furthermore, a U-shaped association between
tea consumption and
dementia risk was shown (Pnon-linearity = 7E-04), and the consumption of around three cups per day showed the strongest protective effect. Within 3 cups/day, drinking one extra cup of
tea per day brought a 6% reduction of incidence. In conclusion, moderate consumption of
tea was significantly associated with a reduced risk of
dementia, suggesting that
tea consumption could be a modifiable lifestyle factor for
dementia.