While this pandemic (COVID-19) has pushed everyone into a deeper panic, our anxiety levels were already on the rise, so anything that helps us feel more calm and energized during this time Concentrated things are especially welcome.
Some interesting studies show that,TheanineThis compound, found in tea and mushrooms, improves brain andheart healthand also help prolong life.
TheanineThe biggest fans are parents of children with autism. A study published in 2015 in the psychiatric journal Current Opinion in Psychiatry found that children in the United States and around the world suffer from anxiety disorders, and children with autism tend to have higher rates of anxiety than children with autism. normal teenagers.
Terri Hirning, a motivational speaker and health advocate, says she has used theanine as a treatment for her son for more than a decade to help him recover from autism. “Some people have also found that theanine is helpful for people who suffer from insomnia at night because their brains aren’t shutting down,” Haining said.
While “calming anxiety” is a great benefit of theanine, a growing body of scientific literature suggests that theanine does much more than that.
Theanine Benefits
Theanine, an amino acid found in tea trees and certain mushrooms, is structurally similar to glutamine in glutamate and is a compound necessary for many functions in the body, including protein synthesis and neurotransmission.
Theanine comes in two forms: L-theanine and D-theanine. L-theanine is the most common and bioavailable form in nature, so when we talk regarding theanine, we usually mean L-theanine.
Theanine has been shown to be neuroprotective, reducing the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, delaying neuronal death following stroke, and promoting neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a class of antidepressants designed to increase serotonin levels in the brains of people with depression, but they have many negative effects. Of particular note, a Dutch study found that theanine increases alpha wave activity in the brain, which can reduce anxiety and achieve a state of deep relaxation.
GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) is a neurotransmitter whose deficiency can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Abnormal GABA signaling is a big problem for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and reduced executive function, according to a 2012 UK study. And theanine is thought to help normalize disturbances in dopamine, serotonin, and GABA signaling.
In addition, theanine can significantly improve or protect the brain and heart function, which has been experimentally verified, as follows:
1. Pair with caffeine for the best brain activation
In nature, theanine’s presence is almost always tied to caffeine. Theanine is the highest in green tea, especially shade-grown green tea, which is high in both theanine and caffeine. In laboratory experiments, theanine was most effective when used in combination with caffeine.
For example, in an interesting experiment published in March 2015, a team of neuroscientists at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom asked 24 people (12 habitual caffeine drinkers and 12 non-drinkers) to follow a random order , four sets of experiments were conducted. They were: caffeine only, theanine only, both theanine and caffeine, and placebo. Afterwards, the participants were tested on a series of psychological tasks.
Those who took caffeine alone reported that they had less headaches and mental fatigue, and were more responsive and better able to process visual information quickly than they did before taking caffeine.
People who took only theanine reported more headaches during the test. On the mental math portion of the test (counting backwards by 7), those given caffeine had improved scores, while those given only theanine did not.
However, those who took both caffeine and theanine got all the benefits of caffeine without any of the disadvantages of taking theanine alone, and performed even better in mental arithmetic and language skills than the caffeine-only group .
Because the combination of caffeine and theanine can improve cognitive performance, this suggests that green tea (and shade green tea’s matcha powder) may be the perfect booster for long-term brain function.
2. Improve brain cognition
Scientists believe that some of the brain effects associated with theanine stem from its similarity to glutamate, a powerful excitatory neurotransmitter. Recent studies have shown that theanine can occupy glutamate receptors and exert its relaxing effect across the blood-brain barrier.
In a 2021 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, Japanese researchers focused on the cognitive effects of theanine on men and women aged 50 to 69 who were at risk of cognitive decline. To distinguish between short-term and long-term effects, the researchers asked subjects to take a single daily dose of theanine (100 mg, regarding four times the amount in a cup of green tea) for 12 weeks, following which they measured their cognitive function: Note Strength, working memory, and executive function.
The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, meaning neither the researchers nor the subjects knew whether they were taking theanine or a placebo, an approach considered gold for high-quality evidence standard. Although the study did not limit the subjects’ normal tea intake, this means that the overall intake of theanine and caffeine was not tightly controlled.
As a result, the researchers found that theanine has a very positive effect on the brain. A single dose of L-theanine reduced reaction time in attention tasks, improved correct answer rates, and reduced the number of omission errors in working memory tasks, suggesting that L-theanine can improve working memory and executive function .
3. Counteract the negative effects of marijuana on the brain
Although marijuana use is controversial, 37 states in the United States have legalized medical marijuana and 18 states have legalized recreational marijuana use. Long-term marijuana use in adolescents may negatively affect brain development, be one of the triggers for schizophrenia, and may lead to anxiety, paranoia, and other cognitive impairments.
To investigate the potential of theanine in mitigating the negative effects of cannabis on the developing brain, Canadian researchers fed young mice two daily doses, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience in January 2021. Theanine, and then injected the young mice with higher and higher doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
It was found that theanine had a positive effect on the brains of young mice. “The range of neuroprotective effects induced by L-theanine was striking, and this protection not only persisted following the THC exposure period in adolescents, but was comprehensive,” the study said.
4. Lower blood pressure and protect cardiovascular
There is also evidence that theanine has cardiovascular benefits. In a 2012 study published in J Physiol Anthropol, Japanese researchers found that giving 200 mg of L -Theanine, and then asking them to perform a high-stress task not only reduced anxiety, but also had lower blood pressure data compared to the high-stress participants taking a placebo. From this, the researchers believe that theanine “may reduce the increase in blood pressure in high-stress adults.”
The Best Way to Get Theanine
Theanine was first discovered by Japanese scientist Yajiro Saketo, who wanted to understand why Gyokuro tea (curly leaf tea grown in the shade) had a strong taste almost like salty soup, and it turned out that Gyokuro tea contains a lot of theanine acid.
Gyokuro tea is not always easy to find in the west, unlike matcha, which is a tea ceremony form of green tea, the leaves are ground into a fine powder for a quick and thorough brew, and you drink the powdered tea itself , has concentrated everything in the tea.
Matcha is very popular right now and can be bought in coffee shops, tea houses, and even smoothie bars. How it is brewed, or even whether it is brewed, doesn’t really matter, because when you drink matcha, you’re drinking everything in the tea.
All real teas (made from the leaves of the tea tree), whether black, white, green, oolong, or pu-erh, contain theanine. If you are not used to drinking tea, then you can get theanine by adding matcha powder to food and desserts, to sprinkle matcha powder on fruit salads or ice cream, or to make healthy cake frosting, or to make some blended with Matcha energy balls.
What if you don’t like tea at all? Theanine is also found in some mushrooms, especially porcini mushrooms, which you can sometimes buy fresh at the farmers market or dried at the grocery store. The theanine in these mushrooms not only has a delicious taste, but also benefits the brain. However, porcini are caffeine-free, so you may need a cup of coffee to go with them.
Dr. Jennifer Margulis, a regular contributor to The Epoch Times, is an award-winning journalist, award-winning science journalist, and sought-following speaker. To learn more, visit her website JenniferMargulis.net and follow her on the Substack at JenniferMargulis.substack.com.
This article is authorized to be reproduced and translated by The Epoch Times in both Chinese and English. For the English report, please refer to:Theanine Calms Your Brain, Gives Your Heart a Boost。
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