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GREEN TEA AND THE BRAIN
It's a sad fact that sooner or later almost all elderly people show some
signs of brain atrophy and cognitive impairment, even if they don't fall
victim to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease,
strokes or other illnesses/conditions that affect the brain.
That may be because common conditions like hypertension, high total cholesterol, inflammation and oxidative stress do much to interfere with normal cognition and memory.
Since green tea has
been shown to protect against or diminish all of these, does that mean
it can also protect the brain from cognitive dysfunction? It might.
Recent animal studies of the effects of green tea on the brain are
intriguing, finding that green tea catechins can:
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prevent oxidative damage to DNA
in the brain cells
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reverse mental deterioration
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improve memory-related learning
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reduce the buildup of the kind of plaque
associated with Alzheimer's disease
Of course, the big
question still looms: Does green tea have the same effects in humans as
it does in animals? While few human studies of green tea and brain
function exist, one published in 2006 in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the more green tea people
drank, the less likely they were to develop problems with thinking and
memory. And that's something to remember!
KEY HUMAN STUDIES
- 1) Green tea inversely
related to cognitive impairment in humans
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KEY ANIMAL STUDIES
- 1) Daily Green Tea
Intakes Delays Memory Regression in Aged Mice
2) Green Tea Reverses Mental Deterioration
3) Green Tea Improves Memory-Related
Learning
4) Green Tea Extract Reduces Buildup of
Beta-Amyloid Plaques in Brain
5)
Theanine Protects Against Memory Impairment Caused by Lack of Blood to the
Brain
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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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