Green tea boosts brain cell production
Green tea constituent may prevent neurodegenerative diseases
If you are one of those wondering whether you'll be victim of Alzheimer's disease or any of those 21st century neurodegenerative diseases, green tea may be a possible option to try to avoid them.
In a recent study published in the Molecular Nutrition & Food Research journal, researchers from the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China, have found that Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenolic constituent of green tea that is known to exert anticancer properties and already known for its capability to inhibit carcinogenesis, may be used for the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases [10]. Image left: зеленый чай / green teaby panafotkas under Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0).
CAMELIA SINENSIS
Family: Teaceae
Genus: Camelia
Common name: Green tea
The study showed how EGCG treatment significantly increased the number of adult hippocampal neural progenitor cell [10] that later on develop in many different types of brain cells.
In spite the results of this study are quite new, other studies done on active constituents found on tea, as i.e. l-Theanine, already showed how tea could improve cognition.
GREEN TEA AND MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
A recent scientific study on the use of a combination of green tea extract and l-Theanine, demonstrated the beneficial effects that such a cocktail had on the improvement of cognition.
In the study, where a double-blind placebo control was used, patients affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among which 13 were men and 32 women, the volunteers performed different neuropsicological tests and their electroencephalography analyzed.
The results showed that an increase on memory and selective attention on those receiving the green tea extract and l-Theanine cocktail, showing the potential use and benefits of green tea extract and l-Theanine for the treatment of cognitive impairment patients.
A excess of polyphenols intake could lead to harmful situations for our body health
TOO MUCH POLYPHENOLS MAY BE DANGEROUS
Are green tea diet pills safe? Is diet green tea good for you? can too much green tea be harmful?
As they say, even the best things in excess could be harmful. Green tea polyphenols are not a exception of the rule, and as it was published in the April 2007 issue of Chemical Research in Toxicology, an excess of polyphenols intake could lead to harmful situations for our body health, becoming even toxic [5,6].
In spite no known research on humans could yet prove it, in laboratory trials done on dogs, excessive doses of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) were linked to liver, kidney and gastrointestinal toxicities, but these toxic effects are believed to occur on individuals having an additional green tea supplement intake, most of them containing up to fifty times the polyphenols content of one single cup of tea [5]. Already back in 2008 regulatory agencies in France and Spain suspended market authorization of a weight-loss product containing green tea extract because of hepatotoxicity concerns [8].
Anyway this amount of polyphenols will of course never enter into any normal green tea diet.
REFERENCES
[1] Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men.
Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I.
Health Care Products Research Laboratories No.1, Kao Corporation, Tokyo.
[2] Consumption of milk-protein combined with green tea modulates diet-induced thermogenesis.
Hursel R, Westerterp-Plantenga MS.
Department of Human Biology, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, Maastricht 6200 MD, The Netherlands;
[4] Anti-obesity action of oolong tea.
Han LK, Takaku T, Li J, Kimura Y, Okuda H.
2nd Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Ehime University, Japan.
[5] Diet and Nutrition: Temperance in Green Tea
M. Nathaniel Mead
[6] April 2007 issue of Chemical Research in Toxicology.
[7] A green tea extract high in catechins reduces body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans.
Nagao T, Hase T, Tokimitsu I.
Health Care Food Research Laboratories, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3, Bunka, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan.
[8] Safety of green tea extracts : a systematic review by the US Pharmacopeia.
Sarma DN, Barrett ML, Chavez ML, Gardiner P, Ko R, Mahady GB, Marles RJ, Pellicore LS, Giancaspro GI, Low Dog T.
US Pharmacopeia, Rockville, Maryland 20852-1790, USA.
[9] A Combination of Green Tea Extract and l-Theanine Improves Memory and Attention in Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.Park SK, Jung IC, Lee WK, Lee YS, Park HK, Go HJ, Kim K, Lim NK, Hong JT, Ly SY, Rho SS. LG Household and Health Care Co., Ltd., Daejeon, Korea.
[10] Green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) promotes neural progenitor cell proliferation and sonic hedgehog pathway activation during adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
Wang Y, Li M, Xu X, Song M, Tao H, Bai Y.
Department of Medical Genetics, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P. R. China.
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