Parkinson’s disease takes place when there is any problem with specific nerve cells present in the brain. Because of this, parkinson’s disease affects the way, in which a patient moves. Brain nerve cells usually create an important chemical called dopamine. It sends signals to specific part of a human brain responsible for controlling movements.
Dopamine allows smooth movement of muscles and does whatever you want to do. However, in case of Parkinson’s disease, such brain nerve cells break down and then, patients do not get adequate amount of dopamine to perform regular activities or smooth muscular movements. In this way, you face difficulty in your movement.
Parkinson’s disease patients primarily experience the problem of tremor in legs, arms or hands. Moreover, a few patients may even deal with slow movement, stiff muscles and problems with walking and balance.
Parkinson’s disease is of progressive type, which indicates that it becomes worse with time. However, this often takes place slowly for many years. Considering this fact, most of the doctors and research experts have started finding good treatments to cure or reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients.
Is Green Tea Good For Parkinson’s Disease?
Recent research studies have revealed that intake of green tea is helpful in reducing the risk related to Parkinson’s disease. Green tea poly phenols constitute the prime components in green tea and they are helpful in providing protection against neuronal losses in both pre-clinical models and cultures after they exposed to toxins, which selectively cause damages to dopaminergic neurons.
However, it is essential to identify and assess the potential and ability of poly phenols present in green tea to reduce the progression of parkinson’s disease problem and its tolerability as well as safety in patients.
Research Study in Detail
Steps Taken to Perform the Study
Doctors had chosen about 400 patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease to perform the actual research work. These groups received dosages of the respective active drug in different amounts and continue with their assigned therapy session for 1 year / 12 months. Control group, on the other side, got placebo for initial six months of their therapy sessions, while consumed GTPs (Green tea polyphenols) for the following six months period.
Expected Outcome
If green tea poly phenols are of neuro protective, groups consisting of 400 patients getting active drug for complete 1 year should succeed to retain their head start and thereby, continue to improve their symptoms at the end of 1year/12months. In this way, there would be a drastic change in unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale and extent of disability at the end of 1 year/12 months.
Evaluation of GTP’s Ability
In order to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of green tea poly phenols to reduce the progression of disease among patients with early symptoms of parkinson’s disease, research team conducted a multiple centered, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled and delayed start analysis in different sites.
During this study, they enroll 410 untreated patients of Parkinson’s disease and with duration of less than five years. Patients received 1 to 3 GTP doses in random manner i.e. 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 grams of GTP on a daily basis in two equal doses orally or it’s matching placebo. After completion of 6 months, group of patients consuming placebo switched to GTP of 1.2grams on a daily basis. Each of the patients underwent with the treatment for about 12 months period.
Change in total score of unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale starting from its randomization to up to six months had shown significant improvement in various GTP-treated patients’ groups than placebo patients’ groups, while research team does not observe any change/increase at 12 months.
In case of delayed-start group, UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale) change improved significantly from 6 months to up to 1 year. Despite, GTP-treated patients dealt with slight increase in insomnia problem; there was no other problem or any adverse effect in such patients. Therefore, we can say that GTP is tolerable and proves to provide symptomatic benefits to early Parkinson’s disease patients to some extent.
Also Read:
