A new study links green tea consumption to fewer white matter lesions in the brains of elderly Japanese people, which may provide a level of protection against dementia.
Researchers from institutions across Japan came together to analyze data from 8766 volunteers over 65 years oldcollected as part of a survey carried out between 2016 and 2018.
According to , self-reported green tea and coffee consumption was cross-referenced with MRI brain scans that measured total brain volume and the characteristics of five different brain regions.
Although these statistics do not show direct cause and effect — the study only looked at a snapshot in time — adjustments were made for factors such as age, sex, exercise and education level, suggesting a solid bond enters the amount of green tea consumed and the relative volume of harmful lesions throughout the brain.
“This cross-sectional study found a significant association between lower cerebral white matter lesions and greater consumption of green tea, but not coffee, in older adults without dementia, even after adjusting for confounding factors,” the researchers write in the study in the journal Science of Food.
On average, people who drank three cups of green tea a day had 3% less white matter lesions than those who drank a cup a day. Those who drank seven or eight cups a day had 6% fewer injuriescompared to those who drank one cup a day.
Regarding statistical standards, the difference is significant. However, green tea consumption does not appear to affect hippocampal volume or total brain volume, which may also indicate cognitive decline.
It’s also worth noting that green tea consumption didn’t appear to make a difference in people diagnosed with depression or the APOE4 gene variant linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Taking into account previous research that associates green tea with reduced blood pressure and other studies that associate reduced blood pressure with a lower risk of dementia, at least one mechanism responsible for the results could be cardiovascular.
“Furthermore, the Real tea contains less caffeine than coffeewhich negatively affects blood pressure, thus suggesting that green tea may have a more beneficial impact on white matter lesions,” the researchers write.
It is linked to weight management and cancer cell death, and it appears that the potential benefits of this drink — which has antioxidant ingredients like catechins.
The researchers don’t stop there. All participants in the current study were Japanese, meaning certain genetic patterns and lifestyles. Future studies could extend the analysis to a wider group of people.
“Our results indicate that drinking green tea, especially three or more cups per day, May Help Prevent Dementia“, write the researchers. “However, more prospective longitudinal studies and basic research are needed to validate our results.”
Teresa Oliveira Campos, ZAP //
