A Women’s Health Initiative research team, including HealthPartners Institute researchers Rebecca Rossom, MD and Karen Margolis, MD, is buzzing with new caffeine information.

A recent study followed nearly 6,500 women for up to 10 years. All of them were 65 years or older.

One group of women drank two to three cups of coffee, or five to six cups of tea, a day. They were less likely to have memory loss. Women who drank less than a cup of coffee, or one to two cups of tea, a day were more likely to develop memory loss. During the study, 388 women developed memory loss.

Dr. Rossom said the findings are very useful because adding caffeine to a diet is an easy change. More research is needed to find the best level of caffeine for the cognitive health of both men and women.