Green Tea And Parkinsons Disease
For nearly two decades, scientists have been looking at how the polyphenols in green tea may help to slow the progression of Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system.
This disease affects the production of dopamine. When someone has Parkinsons disease, dopamine production in the brain begins to break down, and dopamine loss means a loss of control of body movement.
At the onset of the disease, a person may experience the inability to have smooth muscle movement, begin feeling stiffness, have leg or arm tremors, or even lose their balance. Every person who has Parkinsons disease will have different symptoms and different levels of severity. Invariably, however, over time, usually a period of many years, the symptoms will worsen.
There is no cure for Parkinsons disease however, there are several drugs and treatments that can help reduce symptoms so that patients can have a positive quality of life. One of those treatments is to drink lots of green tea.
How Can Drinking Green Tea Help?
Researchers around the world have found that the polyphenols or antioxidant properties contained within Camellia sinensis or the green tea plant are beneficial for good health. They have shown these antioxidants protect the dopamine neurons within the brain and act as an inhibitor to the types of free radicals that can cause Parkinsons disease to progress further.
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What About Green Tea Ive Heard Thats Good
Forming a defense line against PD with the above foods is the first place to start. Unfortunately, as with most illnesses, there is never a magic bullet. However, there is more you can do to prevent the development or progression of PD.
Studies have shown that drinking 3 cups of green tea daily protects dopamine receptor neurons against toxicity . Green tea is protective due to its content of caffeine, a polyphenol named epigallocatechin-3-gallate , and an amino acid called theanine .
Lets look at this triad of support:
Foods That Are Hard To Chew
Many people with Parkinsons have difficulty with chewing and swallowing foods. A person needs medical help if this is the case. A speech and language therapist may be able to help a person overcome this issue.
However, if a person is finding certain foods hard to chew and swallow, they may wish to avoid these foods.
Such foods include:
- dry, crumbly foods
- tough or chewy meats
If a person does wish to eat chewy meats, they could try using gravy or sauce to soften them and make eating easier.
They could also try chopping meat into smaller pieces or incorporating meat into casseroles, which can make it more tender.
Having a drink with a meal can also make chewing and swallowing easier.
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Green Tea May Protect Brain Cells Against Parkinson’s Disease
- Date:
- Elsevier
- Summary:
- Does the consumption of green tea, widely touted to have beneficial effects on health, also protect brain cells? Green tea polyphenols protect dopamine neurons and this effect increases with the amount consumed, according to new research.
Does the consumption of green tea, widely touted to have beneficial effects on health, also protect brain cells? Authors of a new study being published in the December 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry share new data that indicates this may be the case.
The authors investigated the effects of green tea polyphenols, a group of naturally occurring chemical substances found in plants that have antioxidant properties, in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease.
Considering the popularity of green tea beverages worldwide, there is enormous public interest in the health effects of its consumption. John H. Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry and affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, reminds us that “many health-related claims have been made for a wide variety of naturally-occurring substances and many of these claims, as in the case of St. John’s Wort and Ginko Biloba, have not held up in rigorous clinical studies. Thus, it is extremely important to identify the putative neuroprotective mechanisms in animal models, as Guo and colleagues have begun to do for Parkinson’s disease.”
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What’s Hot In Pd Will Drinking Tea Help My Parkinsons Disease
Tea is an ancient, centuries-old beverage that is consumed by virtually all of the worlds population. Tea is composed of polyphenols, methylxanthine, caffeine, fats, amino acids and other substances. Tea has been thought to reduce cancer risk, prevent heart disease and even aid in weight loss. The flavonoids, caffeine and theanine have been tested in animal models of Parkinsons disease and have shown protection against cell loss in similar areas of the brain that are affected in the human Parkinsons patient. In this months Whats Hot in PD?, we will examine what is known about tea and Parkinsons disease.
A recent meta-analysis of all studies on tea and Parkinsons risk revealed that across 1,418 cases and 4,250 control patients, there was a protective effect of tea drinking on Parkinsons disease risk. Interestingly, whether you drink one or more cups a day did not impact the risk
Louis Tan, one of the authors of the Singapore Chinese Health study, reported differential effects of black versus green tea. People in his study who drank at most one cup of black tea a day decreased their risk of developing Parkinsons disease. Caffeine also reduced the risk of Parkinsons disease. This study lends support to the mounting evidence supporting a caffeine Parkinsons-related benefit. Interestingly, most black teas have more caffeine than green teas .
Selected References
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Green Tea Extracts May Improve The Effect Of Anti
Green tea extracts act synergistically with other anti-Parkinsons drugs such as levodopa and help maximize the effects of the anti-Parkinson drugs at the molecular level to control disease progression.
Gonzalez-Maldonado and colleagues reported that a combined therapy of Green tea with Levodopa and Mucuna has better therapeutic effects towards Parkinsons.
Rasagiline is an anti-Parkinsons drug that prevents break down of dopamine.
Reznichenko et al. have explored the effects of combination therapy- rasagiline and EGCG against early stages of Parkinsons disease.
They found that the combined therapy could significantly activate multiple brain targets and replenish dopamine by rescuing dopaminergic neurons subjected to toxicity.
These findings suggest the use of Epigallocatechin gallate as an add-on to conventional treatment for Parkinsons disease.
Levodopa is commonly administered with carbidopa- an agent that prevents degradation of levodopa such that it reaches the target cells. Degradation of levodopa can reduce therapeutic efficacy and cause side effects.
Carbidopa is clinically referred to as Catechol-O-methyltransferase because it inhibits enzyme Catechol-O-methyltransferase which would otherwise break down levodopa.
EGCG is a natural COMT inhibitor. When administered with levodopa, EGCG can prevent the breakdown of levodopa and also reduce oxidative stress in the brain.
Coffee & Tea For Parkinsons
Multiple studies have shown an association between caffeine intake and reduced PD risk. Different studies have noted this association across a range of dietary exposures including coffee, black tea, green tea and total caffeine intake.
The relationship between coffee or tea drinking and lower rates of PD is an association that is, the two tend to co-exist. We do not yet know if coffee and tea are the cause of the lower rates of PD. In addition, there are other potentially beneficial compounds in coffee and tea besides caffeine, some with anti-oxidant properties.
Researchers are exploring if there are contributions from these other substances that may contribute to the lower risk of PD. Recent research published by Dr. M. Maral Mouradian, interim director of one of APDAs Centers for Advanced Research at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and member of APDAs Scientific Advisory Board, demonstrated how caffeine and Eicosanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide may work together to prevent biochemical changes linked to development of PD. Although more research is necessary to test these compounds in humans and to determine how much of these substances are necessary to achieve the protective benefit, the research is pointing in the direction of coffee being beneficial.
Whether caffeine, coffee or tea is helpful to a person who already has PD is even less clear. That is, in addition to being associated with a lower risk of developing PD, could caffeine help PD symptoms?
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Suggested Green Tea Products For Parkinsons Disease
Please consult a health practitioner before taking any health supplements.
Green Tea Powder
A good quality green tea powder is a good investment when it comes to detoxing and support natural antioxidant defence. It can be steeped to prepare tea or included in smoothies or juices.
Green teas with high theanine content include varieties such as Matcha and Gyokura.
Ensure that you buy good quality tea powder which is free from heavy metal contamination.
Green Tea Powder: Buy from iHerb
Green tea Supplements
Green tea supplements are a good option for those who do not like the taste of green tea but would like to boost their natural antioxidant defense with green tea catechins.
Taking green tea supplements on an empty stomach is said to improve its absorption. Green tea supplements with vitamin C or black pepper extract have better absorption.
| Zhou Nutrition Green Tea Extract | Bluebonnet Standardized ECGC Green Tea Extract | Thorne Green Tea Phytosome |
Green Tea For Parkinsons Disease: Research & Benefits
There has been tremendous research regarding the neuroprotective benefits of Green tea and captivating findings with respect to the mechanism of action against Parkinsons disease.
These have been highlighted in various studies evaluating the anti-Parkinsons action of powerful bioactive components essentially, Epigallocatechin gallate and Theanine.
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Delaying Onset Of Parkinsons
Not only is green tea helpful with alleviating some of the symptoms of Parkinsons Disease, but it is also known to help people delay its effects. According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, people that drank more than three cups of green tea daily, delayed the onset of Parkinsons symptoms by more than seven years.
What we put into our bodies makes a huge difference on our health and wellbeing. Therefore, you should add at least one cup of green tea a day to reduce the symptoms of Parkinsons Disease, and promote positivi-tea in your life.
Case Ascertainment And Follow
We identified potential Parkinson’s disease cases from three independent sources.
Follow-up interviews were conducted with surviving cohort subjects between 1999 and 2004, on average 7 years after enrollment. The response rate was 90 percent. Subjects were asked whether they had ever been told by a physician that they had Parkinson’s disease and, if yes, age at which diagnosis was ascertained.
Computer linkage of the cohort database with the nationwide hospital discharge database was carried out. This database was set up in 1990 by the Singapore government to capture all inpatient discharge information nationwide . We identified all diagnoses accompanied by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 332 and code 3320 .
Computer linkage of the cohort database with two hospital-specific Parkinson’s disease registries in Singapore was carried out. These registries listed patients diagnosed and followed up primarily as outpatients in Parkinson’s disease centers housed in the two largest public hospitals in Singapore.
The cohort was followed up by regular linkage to the Singapore Registry of Births and Deaths to update the vital status of cohort members.
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Fighting Parkinsons Disease Could Be A Cup Of Green Tea
If a group of Chinese researchers are right, green tea may offer important protection against Parkinsons disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that made headlines when it was diagnosed in actor Michael J. Fox and boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
The new finding, reported at a recent meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Denver, explains how ingredients plentiful in green tea can help the flow of a brain chemical thats at the heart of this devastating disease.
In our study, we demonstrate the inhibitory effects of green tea polyphenols on mechanisms directly involved in Parkinsons disease, said study author Dr. Tianhong Pan, a researcher from China who was working at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston during the study.
Pan said she and her colleagues in China began the animal studya joint effort between the National Cancer Institute and the Chinese governmentbecause of the lower rates of Parkinsons disease among populations where green tea is heavily consumed.
The prevalence of Parkinsons disease was lowest in Asia and Africa, where green tea is commonly consumed, so it seems that there is some relationship between green tea consumption and the occurrence of this disease, Pan said.
For neurologist Dr. Souhel Najjar, this is the first research to document the mechanism by which green tea can protect the brain.
Pan agreed: The results suggest that green tea may have potential both in the treatment and protective effects in Parkinsons disease.
How Can Green Tea Help With Heartburn
Brewed green tea is prepared with hot water, which helps you stay hydrated. It also dilutes stomach acid, reducing the risk of acid reflux.
Because of that, drinking small amounts of plain green tea can alleviate symptoms like heartburn.
Warm water also soothes your esophagus and reduces irritation caused by gastric acid, further helping to reduce your symptoms.
Green tea also contains some anti-inflammatory compounds, which may help reduce inflammation and irritation in your stomach and esophagus.
This may decrease your risk of acid reflux symptoms and make them less severe if you do experience them.
In addition, drinking green tea after a large meal can stimulate digestion, preventing the food from staying in your stomach too long. This also reduces the likelihood of heartburn.
Its also worth noting that green tea can only help with acid reflux symptoms when you drink it instead of taking green tea extracts.
This is because most of the anti-heartburn capabilities of green tea are linked to water, which can dilute stomach acids while soothing your esophagus.
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Precautions With Green Tea Use
Green tea has many health benefits, and its dietary consumption is safe. But high doses of green tea may have adverse effects.
Certain studies employing high doses of catechin extracts demonstrate that it can be toxic to the liver, pancreas, and thyroid.
However, these toxic effects may arise only in case of high dose supplementation with green tea extracts.
High doses of catechin extract may cause nausea. Please split the doses if taking more than 1g.
The upper tolerable safety limit for EGCG supplements is 300mg per day.
Another important safety concern about green tea consumption is the presence of heavy metals. Please ensure that you get good quality green tea free from heavy metal contamination.
Side effects due to excessive tea consumption may be attributable to its caffeine content, the presence of aluminium and the effects of catechins on nutrient absorption.
Catechins may bind to iron and reduce its availability from the diet.
Individuals with serious heart diseases should avoid a high dose of green tea.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid large amounts of green tea due to its caffeine content.
Avoid consuming green tea at the same time as taking any medicines to avoid drug interactions with caffeine. Maintain a 3-4 hour gap.
Green tea extracts may reduce the bioavailability of antipsychotic medication, quetiapine. Caffeine may augment the effect of certain antidepressants.
Please consult a health practitioner before opting from catechin supplements.
Antioxidants May Lower The Risk Of Some Cancers
Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. Its one of the worlds leading causes of death.
Research has shown that oxidative damage can lead to chronic inflammation, which can lead to chronic diseases, including cancers. Antioxidants can help protect against oxidative damage .
Green tea is an excellent source of powerful antioxidants.
Research has linked green tea compounds with a reduced risk of cancer, including the following studies:
- Breast cancer. A comprehensive review of observational studies found that women who drank the most green tea had an approximately 2030% lower risk of developing breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in women (
- 23 ).
Many observational studies indicate that green tea drinkers are less likely to develop several types of cancer, but more high quality research is needed to confirm these effects .
To get the most health benefits, avoid adding milk to your tea. Some studies suggest it can reduce the antioxidant value in some teas .
Summary
Green tea has powerful antioxidants that may protect against cancer. Multiple studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various types of cancer.
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Data Extraction And Meta
We extracted information from each paper including first author, year, and country of publication, the number of cases and controls, the adjusted RRs or ORs, and 95% CI. We examined possible heterogeneity in the identified result. If the Pvalue > 0.10, it means that the study does not have statistical significance. We used the fixed effect model to calculate the summary OR and its 95% CI across homogeneous studies and used the random effect model to calculate the summary OR and its 95% CI across heterogeneous studies. Egger’s weighted regression method was employed to evaluate P value for publication bias. Finally, stratified analyses were conducted to examine the differences by cups of drinking. Statistical computation was performed using the Review Manager 5.0 statistical software.