A new study conducted in china has demonstrated that green tea chemical ECGC can improve memory and learning abilities by generating brain cells.
The researchers discovered, by focusing on the organic chemical EGCG that is found in green tea, that chemical properties provided benefits for memory and spatial learning in mice.
“There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use for helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain,” said the study leader Professor Yun Bai from the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing in China.
“We proposed that EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis,” said Prof Bai.
Bai also noted that the study focused on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which is responsible for processing information from short-term to long-term memory.
The team unraveled that ECGC can improve the production of neural progenitor cells, which like stem cells can adapt into various types of cells as they observed in laboratory mice.
“The organic chemical EGCG acts directly to increase the production of neural progenitor cells, both in glass tests and in mice,” Professor Bai concluded.
The study indicates drinking green tea is not just good for heart, it can promote the generation of brain cells.
FGP/SS