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MIAMI BEACH – Green tea polyphenols taken daily provide minor symptomatic improvement for people with Parkinson's disease, particularly those with more severe disease at baseline, according to findings in a 12-month study. However, the green tea did not provide any disease-modifying effect.
The study lends some confirmation to observations in China of a dose-dependent protective effect of tea drinking against Parkinson's disease, Dr. Piu Chan reported at the congress.
The mechanism that could account for green tea's effects is unknown, but green tea is rich in flavonoids, which make up 30% of its dry weight. In addition, the most abundant compound in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, protects against toxins in animal models and “may down-regulate expression of pro-apoptotic genes,” Dr. Chan said.
To determine the efficacy of green tea polyphenols for slowing progression of Parkinson's disease, he and his colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and delayed-start study. They enrolled 410 untreated people with Parkinson's disease at 32 Chinese Parkinson Study Group sites. Patients were randomized to 0.4, 0.8, or 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily, or placebo. At 6 months, the placebo group switched to 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily as well. Two cups of green tea typically contain about 300 mg of polyphenols, Dr. Chan noted.
Patients were assessed in-person at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. They also kept a tea consumption diary. Change in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score was the main outcome. Although a significant improvement in UPDRS scores was observed at 6 months for patients in each dosage group, they were no longer significantly different at 12 months compared with placebo.
Although green tea abstract was safe and well tolerated, there was “no obvious disease-modifying effect seen,” said Dr. Chan, director of the Beijing Institute of Geriatrics and Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing.
MIAMI BEACH – Green tea polyphenols taken daily provide minor symptomatic improvement for people with Parkinson's disease, particularly those with more severe disease at baseline, according to findings in a 12-month study. However, the green tea did not provide any disease-modifying effect.
The study lends some confirmation to observations in China of a dose-dependent protective effect of tea drinking against Parkinson's disease, Dr. Piu Chan reported at the congress.
The mechanism that could account for green tea's effects is unknown, but green tea is rich in flavonoids, which make up 30% of its dry weight. In addition, the most abundant compound in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, protects against toxins in animal models and “may down-regulate expression of pro-apoptotic genes,” Dr. Chan said.
To determine the efficacy of green tea polyphenols for slowing progression of Parkinson's disease, he and his colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and delayed-start study. They enrolled 410 untreated people with Parkinson's disease at 32 Chinese Parkinson Study Group sites. Patients were randomized to 0.4, 0.8, or 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily, or placebo. At 6 months, the placebo group switched to 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily as well. Two cups of green tea typically contain about 300 mg of polyphenols, Dr. Chan noted.
Patients were assessed in-person at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. They also kept a tea consumption diary. Change in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score was the main outcome. Although a significant improvement in UPDRS scores was observed at 6 months for patients in each dosage group, they were no longer significantly different at 12 months compared with placebo.
Although green tea abstract was safe and well tolerated, there was “no obvious disease-modifying effect seen,” said Dr. Chan, director of the Beijing Institute of Geriatrics and Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing.
MIAMI BEACH – Green tea polyphenols taken daily provide minor symptomatic improvement for people with Parkinson's disease, particularly those with more severe disease at baseline, according to findings in a 12-month study. However, the green tea did not provide any disease-modifying effect.
The study lends some confirmation to observations in China of a dose-dependent protective effect of tea drinking against Parkinson's disease, Dr. Piu Chan reported at the congress.
The mechanism that could account for green tea's effects is unknown, but green tea is rich in flavonoids, which make up 30% of its dry weight. In addition, the most abundant compound in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, protects against toxins in animal models and “may down-regulate expression of pro-apoptotic genes,” Dr. Chan said.
To determine the efficacy of green tea polyphenols for slowing progression of Parkinson's disease, he and his colleagues conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and delayed-start study. They enrolled 410 untreated people with Parkinson's disease at 32 Chinese Parkinson Study Group sites. Patients were randomized to 0.4, 0.8, or 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily, or placebo. At 6 months, the placebo group switched to 1.2 g of green tea polyphenols daily as well. Two cups of green tea typically contain about 300 mg of polyphenols, Dr. Chan noted.
Patients were assessed in-person at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. They also kept a tea consumption diary. Change in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score was the main outcome. Although a significant improvement in UPDRS scores was observed at 6 months for patients in each dosage group, they were no longer significantly different at 12 months compared with placebo.
Although green tea abstract was safe and well tolerated, there was “no obvious disease-modifying effect seen,” said Dr. Chan, director of the Beijing Institute of Geriatrics and Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing.