Green tea, made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, originated in China and has become a popular beverage throughout the world. Green tea is made with less fermentation than black tea and contains higher levels of antioxidants. Much research has been devoted to the health benefits of green tea and has revealed considerable health-promoting qualities for a variety of conditions, including Parkinson's disease.
Neuroprotective
Green tea extract protects brain cells in Parkinson's diseases, according to a study by J.S. Kim, et al., at Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. In the study, published in the September 2010 "Journal of Clinical Neuroscience," laboratory mice with Parkinson's disease were given the green tea extract epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG, and nerve cell death was reduced by 50 percent. The researchers attribute the protective effects to EGCG's inhibition of nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that promotes apoptosis -- programmed cell death -- in the brain.
Non-Specific Effects
Its non-specific activity in the body might give green tea a distinct advantage over drugs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, say Q. Li, et al., authors of a study conducted at Peking University, Beijing, China, and published in the January 2010 "Journal of Hygiene Research." Citing the multiple causative factors involved in nerve-degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and the highly specific targets of drugs designed to treat these conditions, the researchers suggest that green tea, which simultaneously affects multiple junctures in the process of nerve degeneration, might offer considerable benefits in the treatment of these conditions.
Green Tea with Rasagiline
Synergistic effects of green tea with the anti-Parkinson's drug rasagiline were observed in a study by L. Reznichenko, et al., at the Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research in Haifa, Israel. In the study, published in the 2010 "Neurodegenerative Diseases" journal, low-level doses of the two substances restored activity and replenished levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter affected by Parkinson's, in areas of the brain impacted by the disease. The researchers concluded that the combined effect of the green tea with the drug activated multiple sites in the brain to achieve the synergistic effect.
Combination Therapy
An Israeli study published in the 2008 "CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics" journal describes a new approach to Parkinson's disease that uses substances such as green tea as part of a multi-modal therapy. Citing insufficient results obtained from drugs that merely treat symptoms, researchers S.A. Mandel, et al. at Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research proposed novel strategies that incorporate substances that modulate proteins, fats and other components involved in the development of Parkinson's. Green tea catechins, in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs and antioxidants, along with other immune-modulating compounds, say the researchers, might offer a more effective strategy for prevention and treatment of the disease.
References
- "Journal of Hygiene Research"; Review on the neuroprotective effects of green tea polyphenols for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases; Wei Sheng, Yan Jiu. 2010
- "Neurodegenerative Diseases"; Low dosage of Rasagiline and epigallocatechin gallate synergistically restored the nigrostriatal axis in MPTP-induced parkinsonism; 2010
- "CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics"; Simultaneous manipulation of multiple brain targets by green tea catechins: a potential neuroprotective strategy for Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases; 2008
- "Neurochemical Research"; Natural antioxidants protect neurons in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; 2009
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