I bet you were thinking that I meant T as in Tignum. Of course the strategies we teach at Tignum have a tremendous impact on brain performance, but in this case I’m actually talking about the beverage tea. As many of you know, at Tignum we are passionate about tea. There are many reasons why we’ve converted to be avid tea drinkers- its high antioxidant level, its array of detoxification properties, its protective mechanisms against diseases (e.g. some cancers, diabetes, heart attacks, stroke), and even its immune enhancing powers. However, when it comes to performance, nothing is quite as astonishing as tea’s impact on brain performance.
Recently, neuroscience research has begun to look at the components of the tea leaf (the Camieila Sinensis plant-which provide green, oolong, and black tea) and the positive influence those components have on brain function. One expert on the mechanisms of cognitive attention, Dr. John Foxe, Director of the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at City University in New York, noted that throughout history, reports of drinking tea were primarily associated with people feeling relaxed. Now, there is scientific evidence that drinking tea improves sustained focus and concentration. According to Foxe’s research, “the amino acid- theanine, which is found in green, black, and oolong teas, causes a decrease in the brain’s “alpha rhythms” when people perform complex attention tasks, causing them to pay closer attention”.
Theanine also increases GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid), an important neurotransmitter in the brain that functions as the brain’s natural sedative. If GABA levels are too low, brain excitability is heightened, which sometimes leads to restlessness, insomnia, and difficulty in focus and concentration. Drinking tea from a biochemical perspective may help those who sense their brain is easily distracted or scattered.
Further strengthening the case of drinking tea for improved brain performance are current studies showing that the antioxidants found in tea may in fact curb brain cell death and encourage neurons to repair themselves. At a recent conference, Dr. John Weisburguer, renowned researcher, summed up tea’s attributes by saying, “Drinking tea soaks your brain in antioxidants, potentially slowing down brain decline”. In another report, Dutch researchers found that tea keeps blood vessels that feed the brain healthy, likely due to the synergy of the antioxidants and theanine. In summary, tea’s benefit to improve concentration and calmness while also bathing the brain in a rich supply of antioxidants makes drinking it a “no-brainer”.
Many of you often ask the question, “Does the caffeine in tea have the same effect as the caffeine in coffee?” As it turns out, the theanine found in tea reduces the stimulating action of caffeine, thus providing a balancing effect. By ingesting tea, the brain subtly receives the best of both worlds – the alertness from caffeine while maintaining a calm and focused state.
Are any of you interested in joining me in a campaign to make tea the universal brainpower beverage? I would love to hear your thoughts and input as to if tea makes a difference for you.
Patti T Milligan, MS RD CNS
Partner // Director of Nutrition