Keys To Fighting Alzheimer's Disease May Be In Green Tea And Red WIne

Substances in green tea and red wine may be used to combat Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows.

Scientists at the University of Leeds identified the process which allows harmful clumps of protein to latch onto neurons, causing their death. Then, they were able to disrupt the process using purified extracts of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea and resveratrol from red wine.

"This is an important step in increasing our understanding of the cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease," said lead researcher Nigel Hooper in a statement to the website Laboratory News. "It's a misconception that Alzheimer's is a natural part of ageing; it's a disease that we believe can ultimately be cured through finding new opportunities for drug targets like this."

Alzheimer's is characterized by a build-up of amyloid protein tangles in the brain that latch onto neurons and kill them, resulting in the cognitive effects of the disease.

When exposed to the red wine and green tea extracts, the amyloid tangles became so distorted they could no longer disrupt cell function.

"I'm certain that this will increase our understanding of Alzheimer's disease even further, with the potential to reveal yet more drug targets," said Hooper.

The results of the study are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.