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Dementia is a one of the major social problems.
Once you get it, it will cause symptoms such as memory disorder and poor judgment.
Green tea is one of the beverages that has ingredients to prevent such dementia.
In this article, I’m going to introduce the ingredients of green tea to prevent dementia and how to drink it effectively.
The risk and causes of dementia
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the incidence of dementia among people aged 65 and over in Japan is about 15%.
The number is increasing every year and about 6 million people are expected to be affected dementia by 2020.
I will explain the risks and causes of dementia.
The risk of dementia
People with dementia may have the following problems;
- Memory impairment,
- Impaired understanding and judgment
- Unable to plan and act
- Lose touch with time, place, or people.
They may also become violent or depressed because they are frustrated at not being able to convey their feelings to others.
The causes of dementia
There are different types of dementia, such as “Alzheimer type dementia” and “cerebrovascular dementia” and their causes include the following.
- Accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain (Alzheimer type dementia),
- Lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes (cerebrovascular dementia),
- Loss of nerve cells (anterior temporal lobe type dementia), and
- Destruction of nerve cells in the brain by Lewy bodies (Lewy body dementia).
In particular, “Alzheimer type” is the most common dementia in Japan, accounting for slightly less than 70% of the total.
Green tea prevents dementia
Green tea is an effective beverage to prevent dementia.
Specifically, the following studies have demonstrated its effectiveness.
- People who drink more than two cups of green tea a day are less than half the rate of cognitive impairment compared to those who drink less than three cups a week.
- In experiments with mice, the ingredients in green tea suppressed atrophy of brain tissue and memory loss.
In other words, drinking green tea regularly prevents memory and cognitive impairment.
Green tea ingredients to prevent dementia
The ingredient of green tea that prevent dementia is “catechins”.
According to one American study, catechins are particularly effective in Alzheimer's dementia.
As mentioned above, the most common type of dementia in Japan is Alzheimer's, so green tea has a very high possibility of preventing dementia.
How to drink green tea to prevent dementia
As mentioned above, the ingredient of tea that prevents dementia is catechins.
Therefore, I will introduce some ways to drink green tea that are rich in catechins.
Use hot water
Catechin is an ingredient that is easy to dissolve in hot water.
Therefore, it is possible to take in more catechins by brewing tea with hot water.
Choose Nibancha or Sanbancha
Green tea leaves are classified as Ichibancha (first picked tea), Nibancha (second picked tea) and Sanbancha (third picked tea) depending upon the harvest time.
While Ichibancha is generally said to have good quality and aroma, it is the Nibancha and Sanbancha that provide a good dose of catechins.
This is because catechins, which are produced by the action of light, are abundant in Nibancha and Sanbancha that grows during long hours of sunlight.
So, if you drink green tea to prevent dementia, I recommend you to choose Nibancha or Sanbancha.
Have green tea to prevent dementia
In this article, I have explained the ingredients of green tea to prevent dementia and how to drink it effectively.
Since it is important to take action at an early stage, why don't you take this opportunity to try a healthy method against dementia making use of green tea?