Tea: the New Anti-Aging Beverage?
March 30, 2006 Tea may be more than a trendy coffee alternative, according to researchers at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre (DHRC). Their findings, published in a recent issue of the European Journal of Neuroscience , suggest that regular consumption of either black or green tea may reduce the risk of age-related degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer disease. “We looked at the protective effects of two tea extracts and their main constituents, called catechins, on dying nerve cells,” says senior author Rémi Quirion, PhD, Scientific Director of the DHRC and of the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR). “Our findings showed that administration of both black and green tea extracts and catechins strongly blocked death of neurons. This is the first study to show this beneficial effect of both black and green tea.” Quirion and his colleagues used cultured nerve cells (also called neurons) for this study and exposed them to amyloid, a protein bel...