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Theanine & Caffeine

Jun 15, 2011 | By Canaan Downs
Theanine & Caffeine
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The tea plant is a rich, natural source of both caffeine and the organic amino acid derivitave L-theanine. Caffeine is a stimulant with a long history of human use. L-theanine, although long consumed in low doses by tea drinkers, has recently been discovered to be psychoactive in its own right. Research on this compound has only just begun, but the preliminary results for L-theanine's use in the treatment of anxiety, stress, hypertension and other conditions are promising. As with any new supplement, you should consult with your primary caregiver if you are thinking about incorporating L-theanine into your treatment regimen.

Pharmacodynamics

Gamma amino-butyric acid is the neurotransmitter in your brain that is used to inhibit your neurological activity. Anti-anxiety medications like Valium work by affecting your GABA neurotransmitter pathway in the brain. L-theanine is also believed to decrease your anxiety, likely by crossing the blood-brain barrier and increasing GABA levels in your brain. GABA also binds to a number of other neurotransmitters in your brain, and may affect your levels of dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation, while serotonin governs your mood. How L-theanine's psychoactivity relates to its effects on these two neurotransmitters is not yet understood.

Research

In a 2007 study in "Biological Psychology" by the division of psychology at Northumbria University, the authors compared the effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognition, both alone and in combination. Alone, L-theanine diminished mathematical performance and increased the incidence of headaches, while caffeine increased mathematical speed and performance. Caffeine also decreased feelings of tiredness. When the two were combined, performance improvements were more dramatic, feelings of alertness were higher and the incidence of headaches was lower. The authors concluded that the combination of caffeine and L-theanine had positive effects on mental performance.

Interactions and Contraindications

According to Drugs.com, there are no established contraindications for L-theanine, nor are there any known drug interactions. Although it is possible to speculate that L-theanine may interact with other tranquilizing, anti-anxiety or sedative drugs, there is as of yet no evidence to suggest that this is the case. Research into the potentiation of the chemotherapy drug doxyrubicin by L-theanine is promising, but as yet inconclusive.

Safety

The United States Food and Drug Administration considers L-theanine "generally recognized as safe," even in therapeutic doses. They do not, however, make any claims as to its efficacy in the treatment of any condition. The safety record of L-theanine is, nonetheless, remarkably good. The only known common side effect you may experience is headache, with dizziness or gastrointestinal upset occurring rarely. According to Drugs.com, the lethal dose of L-theanine is so high as to be physically impractical for you to consume during the normal course of treatment. Nonetheless, in the absence of longitudinal human studies on carcinogenicity or cumulative toxicity, you should not consider the extended use of L-theanine in therapeutic doses conclusively safe.

References

Article reviewed by Knuckles Last updated on: Jun 15, 2011

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