Green tea compound may stop spread of Alzheimer's
Breakthrough research suggests that green tea may be able to prevent the spread of Alzheimer's disease in the brain. A new study from the UK found that a compound abundant in green tea called epigallocatechin galate, or EGCG, is able to disrupt a key step of Alzheimer's disease pathway, preventing it from progressing. EGCG was shown to neutralize the effects of a specific type of protein that latches on to nerve cells in the brain and ultimately causes those cells to die. The antioxidant altered the shape of the protein compounds, preventing them to attach to the nerve cells. Scientists claim this is an important new lead in the search for new and effective treatments for this yet incurable disease.