Green Tea Extract Plus Lifestyle Changes Tested Against Cognitive Decline in High-Risk Adults

Alzheimer's disease is increasingly understood as a biological process that begins decades before symptoms appear. Identifying people at elevated genetic risk — particularly carriers of the ApoE4 allele — and intervening early represents one of the most promising prevention strategies in the field. This trial targets a critical window: subjective cognitive decline (SCD), where individuals notice memory or thinking changes but standard tests remain normal.

The study enrolled 129 participants with SCD and assigned them to receive either epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the primary polyphenol in green tea, or a placebo. Both groups simultaneously underwent a personalized multimodal lifestyle intervention addressing diet, physical activity, cognitive training, and management of metabolic comorbidities like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This design reflects growing evidence that single-factor interventions are less effective than combined approaches.

The scientific rationale draws on prior work in other populations. EGCG improved cognition in Phase I trials in young adults with Down syndrome, though benefits vanished after discontinuation. Crucially, in Phase II studies that combined EGCG with cognitive training, benefits persisted after EGCG was discontinued — suggesting genuine neuroplasticity enhancement rather than temporary symptomatic relief. Animal studies of environmental enrichment combined with EGCG mirror this pattern, reinforcing the combination approach.

Functional connectivity — how brain regions communicate — was a key outcome measure. Early Alzheimer's pathology disrupts specific neural networks, with hyperactivity in anterior regions and reduced connectivity posteriorly. Tracking these changes provides a sensitive biological readout that may detect treatment effects before cognitive tests can.

Per the trial registry, the study completed in June 2023 with 129 participants, but full results have not yet been published. Given the urgent need for effective primary prevention strategies in high-risk populations, findings from this trial will be closely watched by the research community and clinicians.