A chemical found in green tea has been found to improve memory, speaking abilities and quality of life in patients with Down syndrome. The compound epigallocatechin gallate found in green tea could alter the way brain cells and neurons connect to one another.
The trial gathered 84 young adults with Down's syndrome and split them into two groups. The first group was given decaffeinated green tea supplements that contained 45 percent epigallocatechin gallate.
The second group was given placebo supplements while both groups underwent weekly online cognitive training. Cognitive tests were given every three, six and 12 months.
Although little to no changes were observed in most categories, the 'green tea' group scored significantly better in their ability to remember patterns, recall words and adapting behavior to several situations. The 'green tea' group was also found to improve over the course of the trial.
In the clinical trial published in The Lancet Neurology, the green tea treatment led to improved tests scores and quality of life. The positive impact on the patients extended to six months after the trial ended, according to Daily Mail.
Green tea can be a tool to improve the quality of life of patients with Down syndrome, according to Professor Mara Dierssen, a researcher from the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona and senior author of the study. Dierssen explains that this is the first time that a treatment has been shown to be effective in the cognitive improvement of people with Down syndrome.
Despite the treatment being effective, Dierssen reiterates that green tea should not be labeled as a cure. The findings must still be validated by more trials in the future, as its safety and efficacy need to be confirmed, according to Marie-Claude Potier, a Down syndrome specialist from the Brain and Spine Institute in Paris.
One of the most common genetic forms of intellectual disability, patients with Down syndrome afflicts one in every 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While humans normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, people with the condition have an extra, or third copy of their 21st chromosome. The duplicate chromosome can cause genes to be over-expressed eventually leading to reduced cognitive abilities and health conditions, according to Telegraph.
