Green tea, chocolate and HIV patients

CURRENT drug therapy for patients with Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is unable to control the complete replication of the virus in the brain.The drugs, therefore, do not have any effect against the complications associated with neurocognitive impairment in patients with HIV.New research by Joseph Steiner and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University, United States, has discovered that a group of plant polyphenols known as catechins, which naturally occur in green tea and the seed of the cacao tree, may help in the prevention of these neurological complications. Their work is published online in Springer's Journal of NeuroVirology.Previous research has established the critical role of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in supporting the survival and growth of neurons in the brain. This protein is active in areas of the brain vital to learning, memory and higher thinking. Patients with HIV have been found to have lower levels of BDNF in their brains than healthy individuals suggesting that this could be directly responsible for the cognitive impairment suffered.
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