What does taking theanine do?
What Is Theanine?
Theanine is the amino acid with the highest content in tea, accounting for more than 50% of the total free amino acids. The content of theanine varies depending on the variety and part of the tea. Theanine accounts for 1%-2% of the weight of dry tea.
Tea theanine, also known as glutamic acid γ-ethylamide, is a non-protein amino acid unique to tea. It was first isolated from green tea in 1950. It has a sweet and fresh taste and reduces the bitterness caused by caffeine and catechins. It is one of the characteristic amino acids of tea, accounting for about 50%-60% of the total amino acids in tea.
Naturally occurring theanine is L-type, while most synthetic theanine is a mixture of D-type and L-type; due to different configurations, the metabolic biological activity of D-theanine in the body is very low, while the biological activity of L-type is higher.
Theanine has multiple biologically active functions, such as relieving fatigue, protecting nerve cells, anti-oxidation, relieving anxiety, and calming the nerves. At the same time, theanine also has the effects of promoting brain cell development, improving brain function, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
What Are The Functions Of Theanine?
1.Lowering blood pressure
Hypertension is a common modern disease that can lead to increased secretion of catecholamines in the human body, causing vasoconstriction, increased cardiac load, and a variety of related complications. Experiments on the effect of L-theanine on human blood pressure under stress conditions show that theanine not only has the function of reducing anxiety, but also significantly inhibits the increase in blood pressure in people with high stress reactions.
2.Weight loss
Theanine can effectively reduce the body fat content. Experiments show that after feeding female mice with different concentrations of theanine solutions for 16 weeks, it was found that when the concentration of theanine solution was 0.04%, it could effectively reduce the body weight and fat tissue content of mice. In addition, the study also found that theanine can effectively inhibit liver cell necrosis caused by aminogalactose and inhibit lipid peroxidation, thereby restoring the antioxidant capacity of liver cells.
3.Anti-fatigue
According to the different sites of production, exercise fatigue is divided into two forms: changes in neurotransmitters and mechanisms related to central fatigue production, while the exhaustion of functional substances in the body and the accumulation of metabolites directly lead to the production of peripheral fatigue. Theanine can relieve fatigue, and its mechanism may be related to the fact that theanine can increase the content of excitatory neurotransmitters, reduce the content of inhibitory neurotransmitters and promote the activity of glutamate receptors.
4.Enhance immune effect
Studies have shown that L-theanine can reduce immunosuppression caused by strenuous exercise and prevent colds and flu by improving immunity. At the same time, a large number of cell and animal studies have shown that theanine can play an immunomodulatory role in inflammation, nerve damage, and intestinal tract by regulating the function of γδT lymphocytes, glutathione (GSH) synthesis, and the secretion of cytokines and neurotransmitters.
What Is The Application Of Theanine?
1.Food flavor improver
Theanine has a fresh and refreshing taste. Adding it to tea drinks can improve the flavor of tea drinks. Adding theanine to cocoa drinks, barley tea, coffee, ginseng drinks, beer and other beverages can also greatly improve the flavor without affecting the taste.
2.Additives for functional foods
Theanine has the effects of enhancing the intensity of alpha waves in the brain, making people feel relaxed and improving memory, and has been confirmed by human trials. Studies have shown that adding theanine to candies, various beverages, etc. can achieve a good sedative effect.
Synthesis Of Theanine
Theanine synthesis pathway in tea trees
Theanine is directly synthesized from L-glutamic acid and ethylamine under the action of theanine synthase. Among them, there are two synthesis pathways for L-glutamic acid, the precursor of theanine biosynthesis, in tea trees, which also leads to the diversification of theanine synthesis pathways in tea trees. One is the GDH pathway, that is, α-ketoglutarate and ammonia generate glutamate under the action of glutamate dehydrogenase; the other is the GS/GOGAT pathway, that is, L-glutamate and ammonia generate glutamine under the action of glutamine synthetase, and glutamine and α-ketoglutarate generate two molecules of L-glutamate under the action of glutamate synthetase.
Preparation and synthesis of theanine
Currently, theanine is mainly derived from chemical synthesis, biological enzyme fermentation and extraction from natural tea trees. Chemical synthesis is one of the most widely used production methods today. This method can obtain L-theanine with a purity of about 90%, and the price is relatively cheap. Looking at the global L-theanine production, chemical synthesis accounts for the largest proportion, followed by biological enzyme fermentation, and natural extraction accounts for the least.