Chemical in Green Tea May Fight Alzheimer's

An ingredient in green tea that researchers think might fight cancer may also protect the brain from the memory-destroying Alzheimer's disease, a study released Tuesday said.

Scientists injected mice with an antioxidant from green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and said it decreased production of beta-amyloid, a protein that forms the plaques that clog the brains of Alzheimer's victims.

Several months of injections reduced plaque formation by as much as 54 percent, researchers from the University of South Florida wrote in the Journal of Neuroscience. The mice had been genetically programmed to develop an Alzheimer's-like disease.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Association, 9/20/2005