Most of us love sipping on a cup of green tea, early in the morning, and cannot go a day without it. Green tea has been linked to excellent long and short-term health outcomes and benefits, its properties have been hailed for possessing several healing powers.
However, there is one significant link that we were unaware of, and has been brought to light by a group of researchers from a Japanese medical university. It has been discovered that green tea can cut the risk of dementia in seniors by reducing brain lesions by 3-6%.
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What Is Dementia?
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the loss of cognitive abilities, such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning, to the point where it interferes with day-to-day activities, is known as dementia. Dementia patients may experience emotional instability and personality changes.
The severity of dementia varies from the mildest stage, when a person's functionality is just starting to be affected, to the most severe level, when a person needs to rely entirely on others to perform basic everyday tasks like feeding themselves.
Millions of people suffer from dementia, which is more prevalent as people age (about one-third of all adults 85 and older may have dementia in some capacity), although it is not a typical aspect of ageing, according to the National Institute Of Aging.
Does Green Tea Ward Off Dementia?
According to a recent study conducted at the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in Japan, seniors in Japan who consume green tea had less white matter lesions in their brains, which may offer some protection against dementia.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, which examined the overall volume of the brain and the characteristics of five distinct brain regions, were compared to self-reported use of coffee and green tea.
Although the study only examined a single point in time, these statistics do not demonstrate a clear cause-and-effect relationship. However, after controlling for age, sex, exercise, and educational attainment, they do indicate a strong correlation between the quantity of green tea ingested and the proportion of brain lesions that cause harm.
Compared to individuals who drank one cup of green tea daily, those who drank three cups had 3% fewer white matter lesions. Compared to individuals who drank one cup daily, those who drank seven to eight cups daily had 6% fewer lesions.
What Causes Green Tea To Ward Off Dementia?
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As per research, the following reasons contribute to lowered dementia risk.
Reducing Inflammation In The Brain
Dementia is thought to be significantly influenced by inflammation in the brain. An increased risk of dementia has been associated with a number of inflammatory indicators.
Improving Blood Vessel Health
Green tea polyphenols improve vascular health by lowering the risk of artery hardening and blood clots. Because strokes are a major cause of vascular dementia, green tea catechins help blood arteries work better.
Antioxidant Properties
Green tea's antioxidants shield cells from damage brought on by dangerous substances like free radicals. An imbalance between these molecules and antioxidants may result in oxidative stress, which can harm cells. Green tea's catechins aid in minimising this harm and may offer some dementia prevention.
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What Makes Green Tea The Right Beverage With The Right Benefits?
According to a PubMed Central review, benefits including cancer prevention, weight control, and even better cardiovascular health have already been linked to green tea through research. One important factor in these benefits is the presence of antioxidant-rich substances, especially catechins.
Green tea has also been reported to help prevent cancers of the mouth, oesophagus, kidney, pancreas, lung, stomach, and colon, among other cancers.
Green tea's health benefits go beyond brain health. In Asia, it has long been used to cure typhoid and diarrhoea. Additionally, research has demonstrated its efficacy against viruses such as herpes and influenza, especially in the early stages of infection.
Catechins found in green tea are known for their ability to combat obesity and diabetes. Other studies have demonstrated that African black tea extract can lower blood sugar levels during meals and help reduce body weight.