Israeli scientists have successfully demonstrated a link between the primary antioxidant found in green tea and brain cell regeneration during recent laboratory tests using mice.

Dr. Silvia Mandel of the Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Technion Institute in Haifa presented her findings last month at a scientific conference in Washington, DC dealing with the effects of tea on human health, reported Israel21c.

"We induced Parkinson's in mice and waited until the damage was evident. Then we began to administer the [green tea extract] to the animals. The results showed that the [extract] not only prevented further deterioration, but it helped to regenerate the already damaged neurons in the brain," explained Mandel. "In the past, it was thought that once brain cells were damaged, there was no way to repair them."

The phenomenon of brain cell regeneration is known as neurorescue or neurorestoration, and Mandel is the first to prove that a product as readily available and inexpensive as green tea can be used in this way.

The next quest for Mandel and her team will be to reproduce their results in humans.