Green tea extract may benefit those with Alzheimer's disease, researchers at University of Michigan said. According to a new study published in January's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a molecule found in green tea, prevented the aggregation and broke down metal-associated amyloids. These proteins are associated with formation of Alzheimer's disease, among other neurodegenerative diseases.

The interdisciplinary team of researchers used green tea extract to study metal-associated amyloids in a lab setting. Based on the hopeful findings, the scientists, led by Life Sciences Institute faculty member Mi Hee Lim, will analyze plaque formation in fruit flies.

"A lot of people are very excited about this molecule," Lim said. "We want to modify them for the brain, specifically to interfere with the plaques associated with Alzheimer's."

In February, researchers from University of Miami studied the effects of an Aloe polymannose multinutrient complex (APMC) on amyloids, finding APMC improved cognitive and immune function in Alzheimer's patients.