Green Tea Alzheimers Connection
The humble tea plant is full of pleasant surprises. As you sip and savour your cuppa tea, enjoy its taste, bask in its aroma and know that every sip you take is filled with health benefits. Green Tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major antioxidant which has been widely studied and reported for its health benefits. In an article published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers reported that EGCG decreases production of the Alzheimer’s-related protein, beta-amyloid, which can accumulate abnormally in the brain and lead to nerve damage and memory loss. This reduction in beta-amyloid was observed both in cell cultures and a mouse model for Alzheimer’s disease. EGCG appears to block the initial process by which the Alzheimer’s-related protein is formed in brain cells. Another study published in the academic Journal Phytotherapy Research has shown that regular cups of green and black tea inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in the brain which bring on Alzheimer’s. The study tested coffee and tea and while coffee showed no effect, tea inhibited the activity the enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
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