We're a country of coffee drinkers — 66% of adults have at least one cup daily. We're also lovers of tea, which has a much lower caffeine content than coffee. An average cup of black tea serves up about 50 mg of caffeine, while a typical cup of coffee contains 90 mg to 200 mg.

In addition to bioactive caffeine, both beverages offer a beneficial mix of polyphenols that deliver neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory compounds that help protect against cognition problems.

Data on more than 130,000 people collected over 40 years, recently published in JAMA, shows drinking two to three cups of coffee or one to two cups of tea daily reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

People with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared to those with little or no caffeine intake. Higher intakes of tea had similar results.

But there's a right way and a wrong way to get your caffeine and polyphenols:

• Drink filtered coffee to protect yourself from a spike in bad LDL cholesterol.

• Don't drink super-sugary and saturated fat-laden specialty coffees and teas that increase your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

• Use low-fat or plant-based milks.

You can adopt other brain-protective habits as well. Daily exercise, stress management, and healthy sleep practices, along with a healthy plant-based diet, will truly defend you against cognition problems and dementia.