Oman today_ Researchers have recently identified a natural compound in green tea and a form of vitamin B3 that may help restore the youthfulness of brain cells and reduce the accumulation of harmful proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The study focused on nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent antioxidant abundantly found in green tea. Scientists believe these compounds could protect the brain from Alzheimer’s-related damage.
Researchers at the University of California explain that as we age, the energy levels of neurons decline, which impairs their ability to clear unwanted proteins and carry out essential cellular processes. Specifically, the levels of guanosine triphosphate (GTP), a critical energy molecule, drop significantly in aging neurons. This energy deficit disrupts the cell’s natural cleansing mechanisms, allowing toxic protein aggregates like beta-amyloid—a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease—to accumulate.
In the study, researchers treated mouse neurons in the lab with nicotinamide and EGCG and found that within 24 hours, GTP energy levels were restored to those seen in young cells. This energy restoration triggered a cascade of positive effects, improving cellular metabolism, activating key cleansing mechanisms, and, most importantly, removing harmful beta-amyloid protein aggregates.
The scientists suggest that boosting brain energy using vitamin B3 and compounds found in green tea could offer a promising new approach to combating cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, they caution that further research is still needed. One of the main challenges is finding an effective way to deliver these compounds to the brain, as oral nicotinamide is not fully active in the bloodstream and has limited efficacy.