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.”

June is National “Cataract Awareness Month”

According to a great deal of scientific research, the leading cause of impaired vision and blindness in the United States is an entirely preventable condition. Cataracts are white, opaque blemishes on the normally transparent lens of the eye. They occur as a result of damage to the protein structure of the lens, similar to the damage that occurs to the protein of eggs when they are boiled or fried. As a result, cataracts can make it difficult to see. Approximately six million people have some degree of vision-impairing cataract and among U.S. Medicare recipients, cataract surgery is the most common major surgical procedure with nearly one million procedures each year.

The lens of the eye is, obviously, a vital component of the visual system owing to its ability to focus light (via changes in shape) while maintaining optical transparency. Unfortunately, this transparency diminishes with age. The majority of the geriatric population displays some degree of cataract formation. Even with normal aging there is a progressive increase in size, weight, and density of the lens, but cataracts are not necessarily an inevitable occurrence with aging.

The basic cause of a cataract occurs when the normal protective mechanisms are unable to prevent free radical damage. The lens, like many other tissues of the body, depends on adequate levels and activities of antioxidant enzymes and adequate levels of antioxidants such as lutein, vitamins E and C and selenium, to aid in prevention of damage by free radicals. When the lens is sufficiently damages normal homeostatic control of cellular functions are lost and the cell dies causing the protein.

Individuals with higher dietary intakes of vitamin C and E, selenium, and carotenes (especially lutein) have a much lower risk for development of cataracts. Several studies have shown that various nutritional supplements—multiple vitamin formulas, vitamins C and E, B vitamins (especially B₁₂ and folic acid), and vitamin A—also offer significant protection against cataracts. Studies conducted by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group (AREDS) and others indicate that a combination of these nutrients will likely produce better results than any single nutrient alone or even limited combinations of 3 or less nutrients both in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. For more information go to “What are Cataracts?“

For more information, please see the completely revised and updated 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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