Green tea, rice compounds reverse Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice

Compounds found in green tea, carrots and rice have helped reverse Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice genetically programmed to develop the neurodegenerative disease, a study has found.

The study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, was carried in mice, and many mouse discoveries never translate into human treatments, researchers noted.

However, the findings lend credence to the idea that certain readily available, plant-based supplements might offer protection against dementia in humans, they said.

"You do not have to wait 10 to 12 years for a designer drug to make it to market; you can make these dietary changes today," said Terrence Town, a professor at the University of Southern California (USC) in the US.

"I find that very encouraging," Town said in statement.

The study supports the idea that combination therapy, rather than a single magic bullet, may offer the best approach to treating people living with Alzheimer's.

Combination treatment is already the standard of care for diseases such as cancer, HIV infection and rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers took a look at two compounds: EGCG, or epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a key ingredient in green tea, and FA, or ferulic acid, which is found in carrots, tomatoes, rice, wheat and oats.

The researchers randomly assigned 32 mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms to one of four groups with an equal number of males and females. Read Complete Article