Green Tea Boosts Memory, Combats Obesity

Green tea's top catechin and most biologically active component, EGCG, could alleviate cognitive impairment and insulin resistance caused by the consumption of high-fructose and high-fat. This is the determination of researchers from Northwest A&F University's College of Food Science and Engineering. They reached this conclusion after conducting a study centered on mice. The details of the study were recently published in The FASEB Journal.

Insights From Previous Studies

Prior research indicated EGCG had the potential to treat an array of human diseases. However, EGCG's ability to influence insulin resistance and cognitive impairment resulting from the typical Western diet were unclear. The study outlined above has eliminated some of the uncertainty regarding the effects of EGCG.

The Magic of Green Tea

Green tea is consumed more than any other liquid besides water. The tea leaves used for green tea are grown in more than 30 countries. The centuries-old habit of drinking green tea just might be a better alternative to modern medicine in the fight against insulin resistance, obesity and the impairment of memory.

About the Study

The research team separated young mice into three groups according to diet. The first was a control group that consumed a standard diet. The second group was provided with an HFFD diet. The third group was provided with an HFFD diet along with two grams of EGCG for each liter of drinking water. The research team monitored the mice across 16 weeks.

The Results

It was determined the mice provided with HFFD had a higher body weight than the mice in the control group. The HFFD group also had a higher body weight than the mice in the HFFD+EGCG group.

A Morris water maze test was administered. The HFFD mice took longer to reach the platform compared to those in the control group. The HFFD+EGCG mice had a dramatically lower escape distance and escape latency than those in the HFFD group.

The hidden platform was then removed for a probe trial. The mice in the HFFD group took less time within the target quadrant compared to those in the control group. They also crossed fewer platform crossings than the mice in the control group. The HFFD+EGCG group showed a meaningful increase in the average amount of time spent in the target quadrant. They also had a greater number of platform crossings. This means EGCG might improve memory impairment caused by HFFD.