Green Tea Reduces Buildup of Beta-Amyloid Plaques in
Brain
Background:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD),
which currently affects about 5 million Americans, can be compared to a thief
that steals into your brain at night and slowly erases not only your memory but
your ability to learn, make judgments, reason, communicate and handle your daily
activities.
The disease is caused by the accumulation of beta amyloid, a protein fragment
that accumulates inside the nerve cells in the brain and leads to the
development of plaques, tangles, and the death of these cells.
Study description: Researchers studied
the effects of the green tea catechin EGCg on the accumulation of beta amyloid
in the brains of mice specially bred to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Type of study: Animal
Study methods: Alzheimer transgenic mice
(mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease) were given daily injections of the
green tea catechin EGCg.
What happened: The mice that received the
green tea catechin injections had up to 54% less beta-amyloid buildup in their
brains than the control group.
Researchers' conclusion: "These data
raise the possibility that EGCg dietary supplementation may provide effective
prophylaxis for AD."
Citation: Rezai-Zadeh K, Shytle D, Sun N,
et al. Green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) modulates amyloid precursor
protein cleavage and reduces cerebral amyloidosis in Alzheimer transgenic mice.
J Neurosci 2005;25(38)8807-14. (Click here to read PubMed study
abstract.)
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Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. presents
GreenTeaLibrary.com,
the most comprehensive collection of scientific information
describing the health benefits of green tea. |
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