Green tea and cocoa

Sitting here with me copy of this weeks New Scientist wondering whether to go for the green tea and hot chocolate and feed the brain .. lol!!! Well, they're saying in the article on hormesis that chemicals in green tea and cocoa could stimulate neuron production in the brain.

It's already known that they protect against cancer .. though difficult to pin point just how because the effect varies depending on the stage the tumour's at and which type of catechin is used. Other illnesses are also said to respond to them.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-03/soci-ch030707.php

From this week's New Scientist:

"Mild stresses can also stimulate stem cells in the brain to divide and form new neurons. An understanding of neurogenesis is leding to the development of new drugs and dietary supplements to promote the replacement of neurons damaged through injury or disease. Epicatechins, present in cocoa and green tea, are a promising candidate.

You can read the study here:

http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/reprint/27/22/5869



And a small article about the effects of green tea on the brain:

http://www.green-tea-health-news.com/antiaging-health.html