Green tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, largely due to its health benefits. Now, a study developed by the College of Food Science and Engineering at Northwest A & F University ( China), has discovered that drinking green tea could help combat cognitive decline and obesity, thanks to a compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Unsurprisingly, this diet rich in red and processed meats, high in saturated fat, refined sugars, and refined carbohydrates, and low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, and poultry, has been linked to weight gain and obesity, as well as the development of type 2 diabetes.
The new study, however, suggests that green tea could serve as a protective shield against the damage of a Western diet.
In experiments with mice, the compound EGCG reduced the development of insulin resistance, obesity, and memory impairment in mice fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet, a typical Western diet.
To do this, they subjected several groups of 3-month-old male rodents to a different diet for 16 weeks . The first was fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet; the second group was fed the same diet but adding 2 grams of the EGCG compound to each liter of drinking water ; the third group was fed a standard diet as a control group.
After 16 weeks, the mice in the first group had gained more weight than the control group. This was to be expected. However, weight gain was much less high in the second group that consumed the green tea compound.
In addition, the experts found that mice fed the high-fat diet and the green tea supplement were less likely to experience insulin resistance in response to this type of diet.
As if that weren’t enough, in Morris’s water maze tests, mice fed the green tea compound found the escape platform much faster than the rest of the mice, and also chose the shortest path to locate the exit. Other similar experiments reinforced the hypothesis of memory improvement in rodents thanks to the compound EGCG.
Although human trials are necessary to confirm these findings, the researchers believe that this compound in green tea not only has the ability to reduce the development of insulin resistance and weight gain in response to a Western diet – high in fat – , it could also protect the brain.
“To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide convincing evidence that the nutritional compound EGCG has the potential to improve learning triggered by a Western diet and memory loss, ” explains Xuebo Liu, co-author of the work.
Reference: Yashi Mi et al, EGCG ameliorates high-fat– and high-fructose – induced cognitive defects by regulating the IRS / AKT and ERK / CREB / BDNF, The FASEB Journal (2017). DOI: 10.1096 / fj.201700400RR
