Drinking green tea may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Shizuoka Green Tea Guide : Tea Blogger (Monira Pervin)

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 Many scientific studies highlight the protective effect of green tea against diseases such as, cancer, obesity, diabetes, hepatitis, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Alzheimer’s disease

 Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease in which the death of brain cells and a development of toxic protein fragments called amyloid beta in the brain causes memory loss and cognitive decline. 

Green Tea

 Tea is derived from the leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis plant. Among tea components, the polyphenols and catechins have been the subject of extensive investigation. Green tea content much more catechins than other type of tea. In green tea, a catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has the strongest bioactivity.

Research on green tea, catechins and alzheimer’s disease

 An epidemiological study by Kuriyama S, et al. showed that the risk for dementia was reduced about 50% by habitual drinking of two cups of green tea per day.

 Scientific evidence has shown that green tea catechins, specifically EGCG, help increases neuronal survival in adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

A research article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease says that the components in green tea such as EGCG, theanine and other flavonoids reduce amyloid-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, which is known to reduce Alzheimer’s.

Another research study that appeared in the Biogerontology reported that long-term intake of green tea catechins prevents aging-related cognitive dysfunction in SAMP10 mice, a mice model of brain senescence.

Conclusion

Recent scientific evidence suggests that habitual drinking of green tea may possibly reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

References

Kuriyama S, et al. Green tea consumption and cognitive function: a cross-sectional study from the Tsurugaya Project 1. American journal of clinical nutrition. 2006; 83: 355-361.

Unno K, et al. Daily consumption of green tea catechin delays memory regression in aged mice, Biogerontology. 2007: 8. 89-95.

Ortiz-López L, et al. Green tea compound epigallo-catechin-3-gallate (EGCG) increases neuronal survival in adult hippocampal neurogenesis in vivo and in vitro, Neuroscience. 2016; 322: 208-220.

Kakuda, T. Neuroprotective effects of the green tea components theanine and catechins. The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan-Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2002; 25: 1513‑1518.

Dragicevic, N, et al. Green tea Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) and other flavonoids reduce Alzheimer’s amyloid-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2011; 26:507‑521.

(Tea Blogger : Monira Pervin)