An antioxidant found in green tea can protect the brain and fight against the effects of memory robbing viewed with plate deposits in Alzheimer's disease.
a new study shows high doses of the green tea ingredient - known as epigallocatechin-3-galate (EGCG) - significantly reduced the formation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brains of mice that have been changed to develop the disease Alzheimer's. An abnormal accumulation of beta-amyloid plate in the brain is implicated in nerve damage and memory loss observed in Alzheimer's disease.
EGCG is one of a group of antioxidants called flavonoids found in plants. They were linked to a variety of health benefits observed in rich diets in fruits and vegetables, such as protecting cancer or reducing the risk of heart disease.
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In the study, published in the Journal of Neurocience, the researchers studied the effects of the treatment of genetically altered mice to develop Alzheimer's disease with high doses of the Green antioxidant of tea.
After several months of EGCG daily injections, the results showed that the nerve cells of treated mice generated up to 54% less beta-amyloid protein than untreated nerve cells.
From the South, in a news version. "If beta-amyloid pathology in this Alzheimer's mouse model is representative of the Alzheimer's disease pathology in humans, EGCG dietary supplementation can be effective in preventing and treatment of the disease."
Green tea contains many different antioxidants. The researchers found that other green tea antioxidants decreased EGCG's ability to reduce the production of beta-amyloid proteins. So drink green tea alone may not be enough to fight against Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers say the dose of human tea antioxidants would need to replicate the dose given to mice would be about 1,500 to 1,600 milligrams daily. This dose has already been studied in humans and found to be safe.
If additional studies show treatment with ECCG can reduce memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease as well as reduce plaque formation, researchers say that the next step is clinical trials of the antioxidant Green tea in humans to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease.
