Green Tea Prevents Mental Decline

For the first time, scientists have found that green tea is apt to slow brain aging, helping prevent declining memory, cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's.

In fact, drinking more than 2 cups a day of green tea slashed odds of cognitive impairment in elderly Japanese men and women by more than half!

Researchers at Japan's Tohoku University studied 1003 subjects over age 70, comparing their green tea intake and mental sharpness, using a Mini-Mental State Examination, a well-accepted standardized test for measuring cognitive function.

At every level of cognitive impairment--from slight to severe--those who drank the most green were still less cognitively impaired than those who drank the least green tea.

Compared with Japanese who drank less than 3 cups a week, those who drank 4 to 6 cups of green tea a week (1 cup a day) had a 38% lower risk of cognitive impairment, and those who drank more than 2 cups a day had a 54% lower risk of cognitive impairment. A Japanese cup of green tea is small--about 3.2 fluid ounces.

Green tea's main protection comes from EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that researchers say helps detoxify B-amyloid, a protein incriminated as a cause of Alzheimer's. EGCG also removes (chelates) toxic iron from brain cells. And brand new Israeli research finds that EGCG even reverses brain cell degeneration by spurring new growth, making it a potential treatment for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Bottom Line: Green tea, particularly EGCG, appears to slow brain aging and cognitive deterioration, and may also help revive lost brain cell functioning. (Sources: Kuriyama, S. Am J Clin Nutr 2006:83:355-61; Reznichenko L. J Neurochem 2005;93:1157-67)

Related Product: One Stop Aging Now! green tea capsule contains 315 mg of EGCG, the amount in 3 cups of brewed green tea.

About the Author

Jean Carper is a best-selling author, columnist, radio talk show host, and leading authority on health and nutrition. She is the author of 23 books, including Your Miracle Brain, Miracle Cures, the award-winning Stop Aging Now!, Food--Your Miracle Medicine and The Food Pharmacy. Her latest book is EatSmart: the Cookbook You Can't Live Without.

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