Tea: What Does It Offer Besides Caffeine? by Joan Kent, PhD

We’ve previously covered the benefits of caffeine. Among other effects, caffeine can boost alertness, mood, reaction time and short-term recall.

 

Tea contains caffeine, although less than coffee, but it also contains other chemicals. What are they?

 

Theobromine. Theophylline. L-theanine.

“Related” to caffeine, theobromine and theophylline both belong to a class of organic compounds known as xanthines.

 

Theobromine simulates the heart. It has a mild diuretic effect and improves blood flow, leading to a reduction in blood pressure.

 

Theophylline relaxes smooth muscles in the airway and eases breathing.  It also stimulates the force of myocardial contractions.

 

L-theanine is a psychoactive substance that crosses the blood/brain barrier and affects mental state. L-theanine promotes the formation of alpha waves, leading to both alertness and relaxation. Alpha-waves are the brain waves we tend to reach in meditation.

 

Green Tea, Black Tea:  Are They Different?

Green and black tea are both made from the same plant leaves – camellia sinensis. The difference is that black tea leaves are oxidized, giving the tea a heightened flavor, while green tea leaves are not.

 

Green tea has less caffeine per cup:  35 mg per 8 ounces, compared with 39 to 109 mg for black tea.

 

Green and black tea offer similar health benefits for the heart. Both are rich in polyphenols, including flavonoids, which are heart protective. Both prevent arterial plaque formation. Both reduce LDL cholesterol, the so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol, as well as triglycerides. High triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease.

 

Both types of tea may decrease blood pressure.

 

1 to 3 cups of green tea per day can reduce heart attack risk by 19% and the risk of stroke by 36%.  3 cups or more of black tea per day can reduce heart disease risk.

 

Tea Also Benefits the Brain

L-theanine balances the effects of caffeine and is found in both green and black tea. L-theanine triggers the release of a neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid). GABA promotes a relaxed but alert state and promotes the release of dopamine and serotonin, both of which are mood-enhancing.

 

L-theanine and caffeine together synergistically boost attention.

 

 

More Physical Effects

Green tea offers a powerful antioxidant known as EGCG (epigallo-catechin-3-gallate). Possible benefits of EGCG include protection from cancer, Alzheimer’s and liver disease. And it’s anti-microbial.

 

EGCG also has an anti-fatigue effect athletically, permitting greater workout performance.

 

Black tea contains theaflavins, which are polyphenols that have antioxidant activity. They can protect fat cells from damage by free radicals. Theaflavins support the body’s antioxidant production and may protect the heart and blood vessels.

 

Theaflavins reduce inflammation, decreasing arterial plaque formation. They increase the availability of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels. Theaflavins decrease cholesterol and glucose levels and may also promote fat breakdown.

 

In postmenopausal women, green tea may protect against osteopenia (lower-than-normal bone mass) and osteoporosis (weakened, more porous bones that run the risk of fracture).

 

However, more than 3 cups of black or green tea (or coffee) per day may inhibit calcium absorption and contribute to bone loss.

 

Bottom Line

Tea is a lower-caffeine alternative to coffee with many health benefits of its own. For bone health, keeping your tea intake below the daily 3-cup limit is advised.

 

If you’d like simple health tips to optimize your nutrition, just grab your free Make Me Healthy Now consult at LastResortNutrition.com . Discover how quickly small tweaks can improve your health.

 

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar.