Green Tea Extract and L-Theanine Improve Mental Function

Background:

L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea leaves, helps reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve the quality of sleep. L-theanine is found in tea leaves in low concentrations (less than 2 percent), which means that effective dosage levels (of 100 – 200mg/day) cannot be delivered from drinking tea. Recently, animal studies and human studies have shown that a high dose of L-theanine (100 mg) combined with caffeine about at the level of a single cup of tea (40 mg), can help to improve attention, memory, and cognition.

L-Theanine Actions

There is no question that caffeine increases alertness, but this effect comes at a price. L-Theanine appears to counteract some of the stimulatory effects of caffeine while exerting benefits of its own. Some of the effects noted for L-theanine include:

Increasing brain serotonin, dopamine, and GABA levels.
Binding to various brain receptor sites.
Improving learning and memory in animal studies.
Positive results in double-blind studies showing it:
- Reducing feelings of stress.
- Improves the quality of sleep.
- Diminishes the symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome
- Increasing the production of alpha brain waves

L-theanine is a very is a popular ingredient in function foods and beverages as well as dietary supplements designed to produce mental and physical relaxation, without inducing drowsiness.

New Data

In a study of 91 subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), subjects were given either the green tea-theanine combination or a placebo. Neuropsychological tests (Rey-Kim memory test and Stroop color-word test) and electroencephalography (EEG) were conducted to evaluate the effect of green tea-theanine on memory and attention. The results demonstrated that the green tea-theanine product led to improvements in memory and attention. The EEG tracings indicated an increase in brain theta waves, an indicator of cognitive alertness.

Reference:

Park SK, Jung IC, Lee WK, et al. A combination of green tea extract and l-theanine improves memory and attention in subjects with mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. J Med Food. 2011 Apr;14(4):334-43.

Welcome

On the Dr Oz show

On the show I discussed the failure of conventional medicine to address the underlying issues in many health conditions offering little more than drugs as biochemical “band aids.”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer has reached near epidemic status among American women as it is currently estimated that one out of eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Currently, breast cancer causes over 40,000 deaths in the United States each year.

The rate of breast cancer is typically 5 times higher for women in the United States compared to women in many other parts of the world. It is interesting to note that in Japan the rate of breast cancer is about 1/5^th the rate in the United States, but in second or third generation Japanese women living in America eating the typical American diet the rate of breast cancer is identical to other women living in the United States.

While conventional medicine focuses on early detection as primary prevention of breast cancer, a more rational approach is to reduce as many risk factors as possible while simultaneously utilizing those dietary and lifestyle factors associated with breast cancer prevention. Here are just a few important considerations:

Women with the highest ratio of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA+DHA to omega-6 fatty acids (the omega-3:omege-6 ratio) have a 67% reduced risk of breast cancer – Click here to get a blood test kit to determine your omega-3:omega-6 ratio. Enter DOCTORMURRAY to receive $50 off when checking out.
Women who regularly engage in exercise have a statistically significant lower risk (up to 60% reduction) of developing breast cancer compared to women with low levels of activity.
Obesity is perhaps the most significant dietary factor as it carries with it at least a 30% increased risk for developing breast cancer.
In addition to alpha-linolenic acid, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are also the most abundant sources of anticancer compounds known as lignans.
Studies have shown that increasing the intake of cabbage family vegetables or taking I3C or DIM as a dietary supplement significantly increases the conversion of estrogen from cancer-producing forms to non-toxic breakdown products.
Studies have suggested that breast cancer rates are lower in Japan in part because people there typically drink about 3 cups of green tea daily.

For more information on steps you can take to reduce the risk of breast cancer, please refer to the corresponding chapter in the 3^rd Edition of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

Mind Your Ps and Qs

PQQ may be the perfect answer to preventing or reversing age-related mental decline.

kiwiPQQ (short for pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a vitamin-like compound found in plant foods that shows a wide range of benefits for brain function and energy production. Learn more about PQQ with the following Q&A.
What Exactly Does PQQ Do?

PQQ is an extremely potent antioxidant that is able to carry out the role of an antioxidant in the body more than 20,000 times—which is a rare thing. For example, other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, are only able to accomplish this “cycling” process about four times.
Are There Any Food Sources of PQQ?

PQQ has been found in all plant foods analyzed to date. Particularly PPQ-rich foods include parsley, green peppers, kiwi, papaya, and tofu. These foods contain 2–3 mcg of PQQ per 100 grams. Green tea provides about the same amount per 4-oz. serving. While these amounts appear to be sufficient in helping our cells carry out their basic functions, research indicates that boosting PQQ through supplementation can produce some amazing effects.

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