People who drink green tea regularly could be at lower risk of mental decline when they grow older, a new study has revealed. This might help explain the lower rate of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, in Japan compared to Europe and North America.
Researchers analysed the green tea consumption of more than 1,000 Japanese adults in their 70s or beyond while also testing their cognitive abilities (memory, attention, language use).
They found that the more green tea they drank, the lower their odds of reduced mental abilities:
Those who drank 2 or more cups of green tea daily were about half as likely to show cognitive decline as those who only drank 3 cups or less per week.
Those who averaged 1 cup per day fell somewhere in between.
Evidence shows that certain compounds in green tea may protect brain cells from the damaging processes involved in conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
The protective effect of drinking green tea, if confirmed, could have a considerable public heath impact, the researchers conclude.
