It is found by scientists from Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of Pennsylvania, that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids. Amyloids are the primary culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases. The study which is published in the current issue of Nature Chemical Biology (December 2009), may ultimately contribute to future therapies for these diseases.

Amyloid plaques are tightly packed sheets of proteins that infiltrate the brain. These stable and seemingly impenetrable plaques fill nerve cells or wrap around brain tissues and finally (as in the case of Alzheimer's) suffocate vital neurons or brain cells, causing loss of memory, language, motor function and eventually premature death.