Green Tea Reduces Plaque Formation In Huntington’s Disease

Posted June 06, 2007 by Acupuncture & Massage College

GREEN TEA REDUCES PLAQUE FORMATION IN HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE

Green tea, reported to have many health benefits, is rich in powerful antioxidants that make it a possible remedy for many medical conditions. The substance epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), extracted from green tea, interferes with very early events in the aggregation process of the mutant huntingtin protein, causing plaque formation in Huntington’s disease (HD) to slow. Study findings appear in a recent issue of Human Molecular Genetics.

HD, along with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding. The nerve cells progressively degenerate in the areas of the brain that control movement and that are involved in memory and emotions. Researchers at the Charit-Universitts-medizin Berlin hope these findings can be a starting point for the development of a medical treatment for HD and related diseases in which misfolded proteins occur.

Green tea may also protect the bladder from becoming inflamed and could be used along with other herbal agents to treat inflammatory bladder diseases, according to a second preliminary study that looked at the ability of green tea to protect bladder cells from inflammation. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Anaheim, CA, found that normal and cancerous bladder cells exposed to two major catechins components of green tea, EGCG and epicatechin gallate (ECG), protected bladder cells from inflammation.

EGCG has been found effective in reducing risk of HIV infection and slowing the spread of the virus in people who are already infected by protecting the body’s immune system, according to a UK and US joint study. Previous studies have also linked green tea to lower risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. A study from Japan published last September in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported high consumption of green tea was linked to reduced overall risk of death due to all causes and cardiovascular disease. For more information about Chinese food therapy for health and well-being contact Dr. Richard Browne at (305) 595-9500.

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