A new study has found that green tea extract and exercise may help improve cognitive function in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the study first investigated how mice with Alzheimer’s disease, who hadn't been given green tea extract and hadn't exercised, performed on certain spatial and memory tests. One such test involved having the mice locate a particular hole within a maze; another test involved having the mice build nests, which the researchers then evaluated for shape and amount of material used. The untreated mice demonstrated poor nest-building behaviors and deficits in spatial learning, among other symptoms. Researchers then gave the mice 50 mg/kg daily of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)—a powerful antioxidant found in green tea—and placed them on a wheel-running exercise program for four months. Both the green tea extract and exercise, alone and in combination, improved the performance of the mice in the maze and nest-building tests. Researchers also found that the treated mice had lower brain levels of amyloid-beta peptides, which are thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease