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(Medical-NewsWire.com, August 21, 2012 ) San Francisco, CA - A study that was published in the Journal of NeuroVirology has stated that green tea and chocolate can be useful in reducing brain related complications in HIV patients.
This new discovery should also start the ball rolling in finding more effective treatments for HIV-caused neurological disorders. Joseph Steiner, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University whose work led to the findings, collaborated with colleges at the Johns Hopkins to focus on a specific type of plant polyphenols called catechins.
The study concluded that catechins may be helpful in stopping the complications from occurring. The substance is naturally found in green tea and the cacao seed which is used to make chocolate.
Research was conducted because previous work had shown that HIV patients developed brain related complications, and that the present day treatment for HIV patients did not stop the reproduction of the virus in the brain which leads to neurological complications in patients.
The researchers knew that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was very important for healthy neurons in the brain because the protein was seen working in areas of the brain that controlled important functions like memory and higher thinking. Previous research on the brains of HIV patients found that they had significantly lower levels of BDNF and the researchers concluded that the brain impairments in HIV patients were related to this factor.
To find a solution, Steiner and his fellow researchers looked at 2000 compounds. The team analyzed the effects of the natural substances as well as man-made drugs to see what they did to brain cells. Steiner and his colleagues were able to isolate a group of compounds that could protect the neurons of the brain.
Interestingly, nine of the substances identified as helpful were related to epicatechin. The researchers moved their study a step forward and compared their compounds with resveratrol. The research into the antioxidant helped the scientists identify epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the most effective at stimulating production of BDNF. Furthermore, the ability of the compounds to cross the blood brain barrier increases the possibility of creating therapies that were previously impossible.
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Source: EmailWire.Com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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