Is it possible that the simple act of drinking green tea can help protect your brain against Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease? A multitude of studies have looked into the effects that the tea has on neurological health -- and the results are promising.
Shielding brain cells from the ravages of Parkinson's
A degenerative disorder that progressively attacks the central nervous system, Parkinson's disease eventually results from the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Currently, there is no cure. As reported by ScienceDaily, a study published in Biological Psychiatry (Elsevier) explored a possible treatment for the disease using green tea. Lead researcher Dr. Baolu Zhao and his team discovered that "green tea polyphenols protect dopamine neurons that increases with the amount consumed." Additionally, "[t]hey also show that this protective effect is mediated by inhibition of the ROS-NO pathway, a pathway that may contribute to cell death in Parkinson's."
Interestingly, green tea protects the brain from the damaging effects of not only Parkinson's but Alzheimer's disease as well.