6th August, 2008: Green Tea Extracts Might Put Obstructive Sleep Apnea to Rest
Is obstructive sleep apnea a nightmare for you? If it is, you are not alone. This disorder affects more than 12 million people in the United States, but there is some suggestion that green tea extracts might allow sufferers to rest easier.
ScienceDaily reports— “Chemicals found in green tea may be able to stave off the cognitive deficits that occur with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study published in the second issue for May of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.” The study, conducted on 106 male Sprague-Dawley rats, suggests that Oral supplements of green tea–derived polyphenols reduces the neural susceptibility to intermittent hypoxia during sleep.
The researchers divided the rats into two groups that then underwent intermittent oxygen depletion during the 12-hour “night” cycle for 14 days. One group received drinking water treated with GTP; the other received plain drinking water. Afterwards, researchers tested the two groups for markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as for performance in spatial learning and memory tasks — namely a water “maze” in which the rats had to memorize the location of a hidden platform. The IH-rats that received the green tea-treated water performed significantly better in the water maze than the rats that drank plain water. “GTP-treated rats exposed to IH displayed significantly greater spatial bias for the previous hidden platform position, indicating that GTPs are capable of attenuating IH-induced spatial learning deficits,” Dr. Gozal wrote, adding that GTPs “may represent a potential interventional strategy for patients” with sleep-disordered breathing.
Perhaps a cup of green tea may be worth a try if restful sleep is eluding you…
Posted by Ruth at 6:00 am |
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