Green Tea Nutrition

Green Tea image by Kanko*

Ever notice that when drinking green tea, the tea’s caffeinated properties boost your mental functioning and alertness, but you still feel relaxed?

The secret?

Theanine!

Green Tea contains the special amino acid (the building blocks of protein) Theanine, which is unique to green tea.

Theanine makes up half of the amino acid concentration in green tea, adding heavily to the taste of the tea.

What’s more incredible about this amino acid is that L-theanine is one of few amino acids that enters into the brain, counteracting some of caffeine’s stimulant effects.

Green Tea’s L-theanine is able to instill relaxation in tea drinkers because the amino acid alters levels of serotonine, dopamine and other neurotransmitters while interacting with brain receptors associated with relaxation.

Green Tea’s wonder amino acid has been found to reduce anxiety, increase alpha brain wave activity, lower blood pressure, improve learning ability and even boost immune systems, studies find.

There you have it. L-theanine allows caffeine to do its work and keep you alert while also helping you feel at ease. Sounds like a good drink to have to get you through the work day, doesn’t it?

I learned most of this information from a great book called The Green Tea Book. If you’re interested in learning more about Green Tea Health Benefits, check it out!

Technorati Tags: amino acid, Green Tea, green tea health, relaxation, theanine

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