Good News – This Hot Drink Could Help Protect Against Dementia

Mug of teaPreviously, researchers found that consumption of flavonoids – compounds found in berries, tea, and red wine – may be associated with a 28% lower risk of developing dementia. In 2017, another paper suggested that sipping on some oolong or green tea daily could slash your risk of cognitive decline in half.And a new study published in Gero Science has linked the presence of two compounds (one of which is found in green tea) to the restoration of a molecule that fuels our brain cells’ production of energy. Why might compounds in green tea help to protect against dementia?The researchers looked at the levels of guanosine triphosphate (GTP), an energy molecule in brain cells, in older Alzheimer’s model mice.They wanted to investigate this because, study author Professor Gregory Bower said, “As people age, their brains show a decline in neuronal energy levels, which limits the ability to remove unwanted proteins and damaged components.”Some of these unwanted proteins may include amyloid plaque proteins, the accumulation of which in the brain is thought to lead to dementia.After treating affected neurons for just 24 hours, the reserachers found that a combination of nicotinamide (a type of vitamin B3) and epigallocatechin gallate, an antioxidant found in green tea, seemed to restore GTP levels back to those seen in younger cells. Once those cells’ GTP levels increased, benefits (including more efficient clearing of amyloid plaque proteins) followed. Dr Bower shared: “We found that restoring energy levels helps neurons regain this critical cleanup function”. Does this mean drinking more green tea will definitely help to reduce dementia risk?No, partly because the way that the antioxidants present in green tea were administered was very different to how people consume it (the scientist treated brain cells directly, while we drink green tea). This study only showed that a compound in it could be useful in some form in the future.Professor Brewer said that “More work is going to be required to find the best way to administer this treatment, since a recent clinical trial involving UC Irvine researchers showed that oral nicotinamide was not very effective because of inactivation in the bloodstream”. But the study’s first author is still excited by his paper’s results. “This study highlights GTP as a previously underappreciated energy source driving vital brain functions,” he told Medical Xpress.“By supplementing the brain’s energy systems with compounds that are already available as dietary supplements, we may have a new path toward treating age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.”Related...Walking May Slash Dementia Risk, Especially If You Carry This GeneThis Lifestyle Change May Delay Dementia And Heart Disease As You AgeWant To Prevent Dementia? This Body Part Might Have An Outsized Role

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