Green Tea to Treat Down Syndrome

Cairo-Green tea has become a common drink in Arab countries for having many medical benefits, mainly a significant role in burning fats and reducing weight, which has encouraged many people to try it.

The fact is that green tea has many other proved benefits. It works on stimulating the brain and the nervous system as it contains small amounts of caffeine, which makes it a good stimulant, yet not a stressor. This kind of tea also contains antioxidants, which keep the body away from different diseases, tumors and Alzheimer later in life.

The Lancet Neurology magazine published in its volume of June, a new study by scientists from Barcelona, Spain, in which they focused on the impacts of using green tea as a treatment for children suffering from Down syndrome.

Scientists discovered that “EGCG,” a substance found in green tea, promotes the cognitive skills of the children with this syndrome.

These results came as a conclusion of many clinical and experimental experiences on the medicine extracted from this material, considered as one of the most important remedies that provided direct results in treating this disease.

Down syndrome occurs in 1 out of 1,000 newborn children in the world, which is a big number considering that the people suffering from this syndrome are unable to learn or to depend completely on themselves.

The study was conducted over a year ago and included 84 people aged from 16-34 years, and diagnosed with Down syndrome. The scientists chose the participants randomly and divided them into two groups: The first consumed a decaffeinated green tea that includes “EGCG,” while the second consumed another drink clear of any active materials. Over the same year, both groups underwent weekly practices to promote their cognitive abilities, as part of programs specialized in the intelligence development. The research team carried out x-rays for the participants’ brains after three, six, and 12 months on the treatment.

The results showed that the people who consumed the green tea have registered high scores in the tests of cognitive abilities. They were also able to promptly recall their visual memory, more able to control their action and to combat distraction, and more able to use their social and scientific skills in their daily lives compared with the other group, which didn’t consume green tea. Six months after the experience’s termination, the scientists carried out a new x-ray. Surprisingly, it showed that the improvement in the participants’ cases was not only cognitive, but also organic. New functional alterations occurred and made the neural cell more efficient. According to the scientists, these results indicate that people with Down syndrome can be responsive to more treatments.

The researchers said that they intend to apply clinical experience on babies. They added that as the brains of small children are in the growth phase, they may respond more quickly and efficiently to the treatment, and may face less complication in their cognitive abilities.

Green Tea to Treat Down Syndrome