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People first began drinking tea over 5000 years ago. Not tea as we know it, but as a medicine. Drinking tea, as a beverage, is relatively new, having been around for only about a 1000 years. In this period of time, tea has played a major role in the history of the world including being the spark that set off the American Revolution.
The Japanese hold tea in such high esteem that they have created an elaborate ceremony around drinking it. The reason for the respect the Japanese give to tea is their understanding of the benefits it provides to the human body. And although tea does contain caffeine the benefits from tea are not due to the caffeine content but to its many other chemical components, the chief among them being an amino acid L Theanine, or Ultra Theanine that is found in green tea. Although discovered in 1949, it is only now that its importance as a dietary supplement is being understood. Although the benefits of Theanine consumption are manifold, there are a few significant ones that are worth looking at in details.
Theanine and memory loss and depression
Loss of memory is usually associated with advancing age ("having a senior moment") or with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. However, studies have shown that depression and stress are contributory factors to memory loss. Although both are mental states, they do cause changes in the body's chemistry which affects the functioning of the brain. Stress and depression cause the release of a stress hormone which changes the chemical balance of the brain and affects both memory and mood. The effectiveness of drugs to control mood swings is affected by this hormone. Even worse, an excess of this stress hormone can actually cause the brain to shrink in size.
Drugs that block the stress hormone have been considered as a form of medication to treat depression. Theanine, a natural amino acid has been found to have the same effect in blocking the stress hormone.
Research shows that glutamate, a natural chemical present in the brain, is associated with depression. Studies show that the glutamate levels in people who are suffering from depression are out of balance. Initial research indicates that blocking glutamate activated brain signals may reduce the depression a person is suffering. Theanine may be able to fill this role.
Glutamate activation of brain signals does not only affect the mood, they also impact the brains memory and learning ability, both of which involve similar biochemical processes. To put it simply, if you can't remember, you can't learn. Alzheimer's, strokes and alcohol are all connected to glutamate related signals in the brain that impair the ability to store and retrieve information. If Theanine is present in the body, the area affected by a stroke will be significantly reduced. Additionally, extensive studies in China reveal that drinking tea reduces the chances of getting a stroke by 40 %. It is obvious that maintaining healthy levels of theanine in the body can prevent memory loss and reduce both the chances of and affects of a stroke.
Theanine and weight loss
Everyone knows the way to lose weight is through burning up calories. The problem lies in getting the motivation to get up and exercise. Research in the UK on mountain climbers has shown that drinking hot tea improved their energy and motivational levels. Finnish researcher made a similar discovery when they found that none of the people in a study who drank five or more cups of tea a day suffered from depression. Caffeine does increase the metabolic rate marginally, but not enough to account for the difference. Also excessive caffeine consumption can leave a person nervous and irritable. Japanese researchers found the answer when, studying the various components of green tea, they discovered that theanine, along with some other compounds, suppressed weight gain and also reduced triglyceride levels. So it is not just the caffeine but the presence to theanine in tea that promotes weight loss.
Theanine and alcohol
Theanine has been proven to be effective in counter the adverse affects of alcohol on the body. When alcohol enters the body, it is converted to a chemical even more toxic that the original alcohol. Theanine has been found to accelerate the breakdown of this toxic chemical and also block the formation of harmful free radicals.
The liver produces glutathione, an all purpose anti oxidant and detoxifier. Alcohol suppresses this production. If this continues long enough the liver breaks down, affecting the rest of the body. Theanine counters the alcohol caused loss of glutathione.
Theanine and Cancer
Glutathione deficiency is not just for drinkers to worry about. It is a major concern for oncologists. Chemotherapy may reduce levels of glutathione in muscles like the heart may lead to toxicity resulting in the inability to use certain drugs that would otherwise have helped to fight the cancer. Research has found that adding theanine to chemotherapy treatments counteracts the drug related glutathione loss in vital organs. Even more, it actually blocks tumors from receiving glutathione thus making them more responsive to the chemotherapy.
Additionally, animal tests with theanine have found that it inhibits tumors from secreting some anti cancer medication they have absorbed and by retaining these medications in the tumor, increases their effectiveness. Theanine also has been found to have antioxidant properties that reduces some of the side effects of the anti cancer drugs. Further, it appears that theanine restricts the passage of the anti cancer drugs to healthy cells.
Theanine and sleep
Although tea can have as much, if not more, caffeine as coffee the theanine in it counteract the negative jagged effect of caffeine without affecting its mental stimulation and fat burning advantages. A person trying to sleep will be advised to listen to soothing music or engage in some relaxing activity. EEG studies reveal that the presence of theanine has the same effect as these on smoothing out the brain waves, indicating that it has a similar relaxing effect.
Another effect theanine has on sleep was demonstrated by research on a test group who were given theanine daily and whose sleep patterns were then recorded. The study showed that while they did not sleep longer, the quality of sleep was better, with a better recovery of energy and a refreshed feeling when they awoke. Those who took theanine felt as if they had slept longer than they actually did. This is good news for people are unable to get enough sleep.
Theanine and blood pressure and cholesterol
Testing on animals has found that theanine has the effect of both lowering blood pressure as well as inhibiting LDL (bad) cholesterol.
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