Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Sinapore (NUS) revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organized brain regions associated with healthy cognitive function, compared to non-tea drinkers. Here’s what you need to know.
Previous studies have demonstrated that tea intake is beneficial for mood improvement and even cardiovascular disease prevention, states the study. But this research team wanted to further explore the direct effect of tea on brain networks. Thirty six adults ages 60 and above were recruited and data about their health, lifestyle and psychological well-being was recorded. The elderly participants also had to undergo neuropsychological tests and an MRI.
The research team found that individuals who consumed either green tea, oolong tea or black tea at least four times a week for about 25 years had brain regions that were interconnected in a more efficient way.
Assistant Professor Feng Lei from the Department of Psychological Medicine from NUS explained, “Take the analogy of road traffic as an example – consider brain regions as destinations, while the connections between brain regions are roads. When a road system is better organized, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses less resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently.”
“We have shown in our previous studies that tea drinkers had better cognitive function as compared to non-tea drinkers. Our current results relating to brain network indirectly support our previous findings by showing that the positive effects of regular tea drinking are the result of improved brain organization brought about by preventing disruption to interregional connections.”
Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea, but does not undergo the fermentation process needed to make black tea. It is very high in antioxidants known as catechins, especially EGCG. EGCG has been shown to inhibit the uptake of fat into fat cells and at higher doses, and has been shown to burn fat and reduce a person’s waistline – sometimes considerably. Green tea quickly travels throughout your system and offers major protection for the digestive tract, a man’s prostate, a woman’s breasts, and cervical tissue thereby reducing the risk of dangerous cellular changes.
Green tea has an effect on upper respiratory tract infections and is very beneficial during flu and cold season. Green tea controls the bacteria associated with bad breath and gum disease and is hard on problematic bacteria in the digestive tract including yeasts yet ignores the intestine’s healthier bacteria that are required for good digestion.
Green tea powerfully improves the health of the skin, rejuvenating old skin cells and improving the look of the skin. According to research, green tea may even improve the texture and look of aging skin. Green tea has powerful vascular effects helping to promote the health of blood vessel walls and protecting healthy circulation to the heart and brain.
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Cognition is a mental action that allows the acquiring of knowledge and understanding. These actions include reasoning, attention, memory and processing. As we age, cognitive decline can settle in, causing impairment, especially in those 65 years old and older. However, certain clinically studied brain health nutrients have been shown to benefit cognition, including brain energy, activity and function.
Sixty percent of your brain is made of of fats, or lipids. Phosphatidylserine (pronounced fos-fa-ty-dul-ser-ene) is one of these fats that occurs naturally in the brain and is specifically important for our memory and cognitive functions. Your brain’s natural level of this fat drops as you age, which may result in forgetfulness, clouded thinking and other cognitive issues.
Phosphatidylserine has been shown in numerous clinical studies to be an important brain-protecting nutrient. In one study performed by researchers in Japan, soybean-derived phosphatidylerserine was shown to significantly increase memory scores of elderly study participants with mild cognitive impairment. The study authors concluded that soy-based phosphatidylserine used in the study was considered a safe ingredient and that six months of supplementation could improve the memory functions of the elderly with memory complaints.
Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest living tree species, with its extract extracted from its fan-shaped leaves. Ginkgo has been shown to be an important nutrient for cognition due to its powerful antioxidant qualities (flavonoids) and it’s circulation-benefits (terpenoids), which help to dilate the blood vessels and reduce the stickiness of platelets.
One study performed by the Center for Human Psychopharmacology in Australia and the Clinical Unit Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, set out to investigate the impact of ginkgo biloba extract on the working memory task (WMT) of nineteen healthy middle-aged (50-61yrs) male participants. For 14 days, participants were either given a ginkgo biloba extract or a placebo in random order. Using electrodes, the subjects steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) was measured, or the brain activity brought on by a working memory task. The researchers concluded that Gingko biloba was found to improve behavioral performance and to increase the amplitude of the brain during the task.
NADH, or Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is the reduced coenzyme form of coenzyme, the active or working form of a nutrient that is essential to metabolism. NADH is involved in three energy production cycles, and is needed to metabolize all foods including carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids into ATP energy – the fuel used by every cell in the body.
In a study published in the journal Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research, 10mg of NADH per day after 5-months was found to significantly higher total scores on an accepted dementia rating scale than participants scores on a placebo.