www.foodconsumer.org - October 1st, 2012
In the August’s edition of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, Chinese researchers reported further evidence of the benefits of a major compound found in green tea. Pay close attention to the source of your green tea, it is ultimately going to affect the overall benefit. Always look at the ingredients list of your green tea. If it contains any food additives such as food coloring, artificial flavorings, aspartame, or phosphoric acid you may want to rethink your tea choice. It only takes water and tea leaves to make tea! The specific compound that adds the most antioxidant properties to green tea is called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and strong evidence shows EGCG aiding in the regeneration of hippocampal cells.
The study tested mice controlling for use of EGCG, they were observed to see how well they could remember going through mazes. The mice were separated into 2 groups: a control group and one that had been given EGCG. After a 3-day training period, mice that were treated greatly outperformed the control group and distinct hippocampal cell proliferation was observed. This evidence further supports the benefits of EGCG by showing its abilities to improve learning and memory through object recognition and spatial memory.
Green tea’s effects on the human brain are of particular importance because mental disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. In addition to widely known effects like reducing your risk of heart disease, helping your weight-loss and lowering your blood pressure, green tea can promote a healthy long and short-term memory showed the study. EGCG has been used in clinical trials on humans but, use on a regular basis has not been tested.
Unhealthy aging can occur as a result of poor nutrition and lifestyle habits. Mental disorders generally have a lot to do with an abnormal regeneration of brain cells. The hippocampus is the center of your brain in charge of consolidating short-term memories into long-term memories. Hippocampal neurogenesis is an essential role for mediating specific cognitive functions. Alzheimer’s disease patients experience degeneration of this area of the brain first, making EGCG a potential element for future drug development.
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