improve the brain's ability to function

- New scientific research suggests that drinking tea may lower an
individual's risk of developing dementia and other neurodegenerative
disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
This data and other new research that suggest drinking tea may
improve and maintain brain health and function and even help us
think more clearly were presented today at the Fourth International
Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health in Washington, DC. The
Symposium is a forum for leading global scientists to gather and
share their latest research findings.

"This new data adds to the growing evidence which shows that diet
influences the likelihood and risk of an individual experiencing
cognitive decline or dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, with
aging," said Canadian tea and health expert Dr. Carol Greenwood.

Tea and brain health

The body of research presented at the Symposium suggests tea may
help maintain and improve brain health both directly and indirectly,
said Dr. Greenwood, a Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the
University of Toronto, a Senior Scientist at Baycrest in Toronto,
and a leading authority on the relationship between diet and
cognition.

"The research shows that tea likely directly impacts brain health by
maintaining brain cell function and by assisting in the repair of
damaged cells," she said. "Drinking tea may further help because it
reduces the risk of developing other disorders which increase the
risk of cognitive decline and dementia."

One animal study by Dr. Sylvia Mandel, of the Eve Topf Center for
Neurodegenerative Diseases in Israel, found that tea consumption
helps maintain the health of neurons in the brain and improved their
ability to combat stressors, said Dr. Greenwood.

In the study, Dr. Mandel provided an amount of purified tea
flavonoids equal to about two to four cups of Green Tea per day to
animals with induced Parkinsonism as part of their diet to evaluate
how their symptoms improved or progressed. She found that in animals
that were fed Green Tea flavonoids, the polyphone appeared to
prevent brain cells from dying, and showed improvements in reducing
compounds that lead to lesions in the brains of animals with
Alzheimer's disease.

"Dr. Mandel's work shows that tea may not only help prevent brain
cells from dying, it appears that tea flavonoids may even rescue the
neurons once they have been damaged, to help them repair," said Dr.
Greenwood.

"Researchers have been actively searching for better ways to support
brain cells repair for many years", she said, adding "this finding
that tea, a natural product consumed by millions of Canadians every
day, can help repair them is especially exciting."

The latest findings on other potential health benefits of tea,
including how it may play a role in shifting metabolism to favour
weight loss and better manage blood sugar levels, were also unveiled
at the Symposium. As well, other new studies which add to the
existing body of knowledge about tea's potential ability to reduce
risk for several chronic diseases were presented. These included
research that shows tea flavonoids may improve cardiovascular health
by reducing inflammation and improving blood vessel function.

All of these additional findings also support tea's potential role
in preventing cognitive decline and dementia, said Dr.
Greenwood. "The research shows that tea may help combat high
cholesterol & atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and inflammation
which are diseases and disorders that increase the risk of
dementia."

Furthermore, she added, that tea's potential role in helping to
maintain healthy body weight may also help prevent dementia because
most of the diseases and disorders associated with risk for
cognitive decline and dementia are more prevalent among with those
with obesity.

Tea and the mind's ability to focus

Data which shows how tea impacts brain waves and potentially helps
improve the mind's ability to concentrate was also presented at
today's Symposium, which was sponsored by the American Cancer
Society, American College of Nutrition, American Medical Women's
Association, American Society for Nutrition, The Linus Pauling
Institute and the Tea Council of the U.S.A.

Results from several ongoing human trials presented at the Symposium
by Dr. John Foxe, Professor of Neuroscience, Biology and Psychology
at City College of the City University of New York, found that
theanine from tea actively alters the attention networks of the
brain. Theanine is an amino acid present almost exclusively in the
tea plant. After drinking tea, the amino acid theanine, which is
present in Green, Black and Oolong varieties, is known to be
absorbed by the small intestine and to cross the blood-brain barrier
where it affects the brain's neurotransmitters, and increases alpha
brain-wave activity. This alpha brain rhythm is known to induce a
calmer, yet more alert, state of mind.

Dr. Foxe used electrophysiological measures to monitor brain
activity after individuals drank solutions containing either 250 mg
theanine or placebo. The subjects were asked to complete a variety
of attention-related computerized tasks. "Our results showed that
after having theanine, individuals showed significant improvements
in tests for attention and that activity in cortical regions
responsible for attention functions was enhanced," said Dr. Foxe.

Additional research by Dr. Foxe suggests that the effects of
theanine in combination with caffeine are even greater than with
either one alone in improving attention. Theanine may work
synergistically with caffeine to help induce a more calming, relaxed
state, but one that allows the mind to focus and concentrate better
at tasks. A cup of tea contains an average of 20-25 mg of theanine.

"What's more, we have seen that just 20 minutes after consuming
theanine, the blood concentrations increase and the brain's alpha
waves are impacted. It lasts about three to four hours, which we
have speculated may be why people tend to drink a cup of tea every
three-to-four hours during the day," said Dr. Foxe.

Tea in Canada

Tea is the world's second most popular beverage after water. In
2006, the tea market in Canada was worth approximately $319 million.
Canadians drink more than seven billion cups of tea each year. In
2005, the per capita consumption of tea in Canada was 69.98 litres
(280 cups) per Canadian, an increase of 43 percent from 1996 when it
was 48.9 litres.

In May, Health Canada's Natural Health Products Directorate
officially recognized tea for its role in maintaining good health
and deemed tea to be a natural health product.

The Tea Association of Canada

The Tea Association of Canada is a not-for-profit association of
leading companies and producing countries, including Sri Lanka,
India, and Kenya, which is dedicated to increasing awareness of
quality tea and its health benefits to Canadians. The Tea
Association acts as an impartial source for information about tea.
If you want to know more about tea trends, history and production,
please visit the Tea Association of Canada's website at www.tea.ca

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2007(CNW GROUP)