Clinical benefits of green tea consumption for cognitive dysfunction

• Green tea has potential for use in nutritional approaches to cognitive dysfunction.
• Experimental studies indicate several possible mechanisms.
• Epidemiological studies suggest associations between tea consumption and cognition.
• Interventional studies also indicate the effect of tea and its components.
• Additional large scale clinical studies are needed.

The prevalence of cognitive dysfunction, and particularly dementia, is increasing rapidly among older adults worldwide. There is currently no cure for dementia. In this situation, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical combination therapies capable of preventing or slowing the progression of cognitive dysfunction are important. Nutritional intervention provides an important non-pharmaceutical approach in clinical practice. Green tea has the potential to contribute to this nutritional approach. Experimental studies in vitro and in vivo have suggested that green tea and its components could affect cognition via several potential mechanisms; these include its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, protein kinase C activation, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition. Although several epidemiological and interventional studies in humans have suggested an association between tea consumption and cognition, not all studies have reported consistent findings. The present review summarizes experimental studies of the mechanisms involved in these effects and clinical studies of green tea consumption and cognition. This review provides a basis for the development of an evidence-based approach to the use of green tea and its ingredients in individuals with cognitive dysfunction.

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