Are Chinese so smart because they drink Green Tea? Research just published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research seems to indicate so. EGCG in green tea is the key. Professor Yun Bai from the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China explained:
Green tea is a popular beverage across the world. There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain. We proposed that EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis. We focused our research on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which processes information from short-term to long-term memory.
Using mice, they ran tests were mice were trained to find a visible platform in a maze. After three days of training to find the visible platform, they were trained for seven days to find a hidden platform. Then the mice were asked to complete a confidential questionnaire. What they found was that the EGCG increased the production of nueron cells in the area of the brain that controls short-term and long-term memory.
