Green tea could help depression, study shows
Seniors who drink several cups of green tea each day are not as likely to be prone to depression, probably as a result of "feel good" chemical present in this sort of tea, Japanese researchers said. Numerous studies have linked drinking green tea to lessening psychological problems and Dr. Kaijun Niu, of Tohoku University Graduate School, and colleagues found individuals aged 70 and older who drank four or more cups of green tea daily were 44 percent not as likely to possess signs of depression.
Green tea is widely consumed in most Asian countries, including China and Japan.
Niu and the team investigated 1,058 relatively healthy elderly men and women. About 34 percent from the men and 39 percent from the women had signs of depression, based on the study that was published in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A total of 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed 2 to 3 cups daily and the rest reported having one or fewer cups daily.
Based on the researchers, the apparent effect of drinking more green tea on alleviating the signs of depression didn't fade when they considered social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems and use of antidepressants. By comparison, there was no association between consumption of black or oolong tea, or coffee, and lower signs of depression. Green tea component amino acid theanine, is thought to possess a tranquillizing impact on the brain and may explain the "potentially beneficial effect" shown in the present study, Niu noted.
However, further studies are necessary to confirm whether greater green tea intake actually has antidepressant effects, the researchers said.
Steve Roski
MyHealthTea.com
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