Four or more cups of Green Tea per day slashed the risk of suffering with symptoms of depression in the elderly

Researchers from Tohoku University investigated any relationship between mental health and Green Tea consumption in 1058 elderly Japanese individuals who were 70 or more years of age that were independent and lived at home. A scale of 30 items was used to cut off two end points; mild/severe depressive symptoms or severe depressive symptoms. Slightly over 50% of the elderly had mild/severe (about 30%) or severe depressive symptoms (20%). The researchers found that drinking 4 or more cups a day had a good effect in lowering the risk of having symptoms of depression by a solid 44%. The study is published in the October 14 th 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.