Are You Stressed Out?

September 3, 2008 – 2:57 am

Welcome back!

Dr. Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., cellular biologist and author of the New York Times Bestseller “The Biology of Belief”, stated that as much as 95% of illness is caused by stress. People in our modern society have had to deal with a lot of stressful situations over the last five years. Just watching the evening news can make you feel stressful!

The typical approach to helping individuals feeling the effects of debilitating stress is to prescribe mood-altering drugs. But many of these can become addicting and have undesirable side effects.

For those interested in a more natural approach to reducing anxiety and stress, there are other ways to cope with these problems. By restructuring your environment you can stay in control. Simple changes can help you reduce your stress level. These include eating a balanced diet, aerobic activity, reducing stimulants such as caffeine, frequent relaxing hot baths, and getting sufficient sleep. In addition, there are dietary supplements that may facilitate further stress reduction, without becoming habit forming.

Health Benefits
Green tea has been used for centuries in many Asian countries as a means of relaxing the mind and body. Researchers discovered that an amino acid called L-theanine in the green tea leaves is what induces relaxation without drowsiness. Unfortunately, one would need to consume 10 to 30 cups of tea to receive any significant amount of L-theanine. A Japanese company, Taiyo Kagaku, successfully developed a concentrated form of L-theanine called Suntheanine and this compund has recently become available in the US market.

L-theanine is digested in the small intestine and crosses the blood brain barrier allowing it to work on brain neurotransmitters. It stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, which can make you feel relaxed while maintaining alertness. The body is also stimulated to produce other calming amino acids, like tryptophan and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Most people experience a relaxed feeling within 30 to 40 minutes after consuming L-theanine.

Research Summary
Studies have shown that Suntheanine helps to:
- Improve learning and memory by regulating the levels of dopamine and serotonin.
- Alleviate normal symptoms of premenstrual stress (PMS). Irritability, nervousness, anxiety, and crying are just some of the symptoms that can be helped by daily use of Suntheanine for women suffering from PMS.
- Support the immune system by reducing stress. Stress can be very damaging to the immune system.
- Improve the overall quality of sleep by allowing the mind to fully relax and recuperate (when taken before bedtime).
- Promote a positive mood and alertness.
- Reduce anxiety and nervous tension.

L-theanine seems to help alleviate two of the major problems faced by many adults – stress and sleep deprivation. Both of which have a detrimental effect on our overall health and well-being. And, unlike most drugs, L-theanine has no known side effects when taken as directed.

Scientific Studies
A clinical trial conducted in Japan at the National Institute of Mental Health verified that L-theanine could enhance the quality of sleep when taken just before bedtime. Test subjects reported a noticeable lack of feeling exhausted and a reduced need for sleep. The study confirmed that although L-theanine does not increase the length of sleep, it improves the quality of sleep. It allows the mind to fully relax and recuperate during sleep. Subjects reported feeling refreshed and alert when they awoke.

An article published in a 1998 Japanese Journal documents the results of a six-week study on eight students with either high or low anxiety levels. Researchers found that when the students consumed 200 mg of L.theanine with water, they had larger alpha brain waves and felt less stressed. Subjects taking only water saw no change in their alpha brain waves. Subjects taking 50 mg saw only a slight increase.

In a study conducted at the University of Shizuoka and The Family Planning Institute of Japan, women receiving 200 mg of Suntheanine per day reported reduced anxiety and a reduction of other mental, physiological, and social symptoms associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in Bangor Maine, women reported similar positive results for relief of PMS symptoms when taking Suntheanine.

In a double-blind study conducted in Nagoya University in Japan, twelve subjects underwent four separate trials. In the first trial, they took L-theanine at the beginning of the procedure. In the second, they took L-theanine midway through. In the final two trials, they took either a placebo or nothing. The researchers found that taking L-theanine resulted in a reduction in the heart rate (HR) and the salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) responses to an acute stress task relative to the placebo control condition. In addition, analysis of heart rate variability indicated that the reductions in HR and s-IgA were likely attributable to an attenuation of sympathetic nervous activation. Thus, it was suggested that the oral intake of L-theanine could cause anti-stress effects via the inhibition of cortical neuron excitation.

To find out more how you can reduce stress, check out Laugh Stress Away

References:
Kimura K, Ozeki M, Juneja L R, Ohira H, “L-theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses”. Biological Psychology: Elsevier; August 2006

Quilici-Timmcke, Julie, “Suntheanine, A Natural Approach to Stress and Anxiety”. Total Health (25:4): Utah.

Sellman, Sherrill “Dreaming of a Good Night’s Sleep”. Total Health (26:4): Utah.

Thankachen, Jasmin, “Destress with L-theanine”. Nature Health: Weider Publications; Oct/Nov 2002.

Resources:
Sahley, Billie Jay, “Theanine, The Relaxation Amino Acid: An Amazing New Amino Acid”. Pain & Stress Publications: Texas; February 2004.