A new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggests that drinking green tea may help to protect brain cells against Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's is a progressive, degenerative brain disorder that is caused by the loss of the brain cells that produce dopamine.
Chinese researchers conducted an investigation into the effects of green tea polyphenols - antioxidant compounds that occur within plants.
They found that green tea compounds protect the dopamine nerve cells, with the degree of protection increasing in line with the amount of green tea consumed.
The journal's editor Dr John Krystal, who is affiliated with Yale University and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said that many health-related claims have been made for a range of natural substances.
"If green tea consumption can be shown to have meaningful neuroprotective actions in patients, this would be an extremely important advance," he claimed.
Green tea is also currently under investigation for its potential to prevent the formation of prostate cancer.
A new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggests that drinking green tea may help to protect brain cells against Parkinson's disease.
