Theanine Completely Abolishes The Cortisol Response To Stress In Humans

[marikay]

@haidut is theanine (200 mgs) safe to take before sleep? Or is suppressing cortisol through supplements not a good idea while sleeping?

 

[acrylic]

@haidut Are there any bad effects to theanine? This research makes me want to pop 200mg 2-4x a day everyday...

-J

 

[Kim]

Cortisol is one of the most potent stimulators of aromatase. The estrogenic effects of green tea are probably due to the flavanols and EGCG contents, not theanine. GABA agonists like theanine are highly unlikely to raise estrogen, and will probably lower it. GABA agonists also (usually) upregulate 5-AR, which is another point against estrogen.

Wondering would it be safe to give my son theanine when he is currently on - 15mg of a amphetamines and 3mg of SSRI ? He is very very anxious/ self hurting and has OCD a ADD. Thank you for any help.

 

[Kasper]

@Kim Many of my add symptoms has gone away in the last 2 weeks, and I think it is mainly because of taurine, theanine and glycine I take.

I don't take ritalin anymore. But for example, I'm for the first time in my life able to make habits, like brushing my teeth. You know, I would regularly brush my teeth, but it never felt like an habit to me, always I had to think about, and sometimes I would just forget.

Also, my sleep had been consistent, a bit late still, from 2 am to 10, but I can't remember a time that it had been so consistent.

My university work is so much organized, my work would be a chaotic mess. Even my handwriting has improved tremendously.

And so much more little things have changed, like for example, I put the cards of my wallet back in my wallet after I used them, I'm on time in my classes, I automatically make long term plans, I would never even think about what to do tomorrow, if I would not push myself.

Oh and I forget, my addictive behaviour has completely gone.

 

[dookie]

@Kim Many of my add symptoms has gone away in the last 2 weeks, and I think it is mainly because of taurine, theanine and glycine I take.

I don't take ritalin anymore. But for example, I'm for the first time in my life able to make habits, like brushing my teeth. You know, I would regularly brush my teeth, but it never felt like an habit to me, always I had to think about, and sometimes I would just forget.

Also, my sleep had been consistent, a bit late still, from 2 am to 10, but I can't remember a time that it had been so consistent.

My university work is so much organized, my work would be a chaotic mess. Even my handwriting has improved tremendously.

And so much more little things have changed, like for example, I put the cards of my wallet back in my wallet after I used them, I'm on time in my classes, I automatically make long term plans, I would never even think about what to do tomorrow, if I would not push myself.

Oh and I forget, my addictive behaviour has completely gone.

I have found that estrogen leads to more organized behavior. Are you sure there aren't any estrogenic side-effects from the supplements you are using? Any water retention, puffiness, swelling, etc?

 

[Kasper]

@dookie haha well, I must have had extremely low estrogen levels then, because I was a chaotic mess. I'm only glad that I have some more structure in my life.

But is ADD a sign low estrogen then? Because most people diagnosed with ADD that I know have the same problem. Unable to make habits, chaotic work, chaotic work place.

I highly doubt that. Cortisol will elevate estrogen more than anything, and with theanine, taurine and glycine, I'm sure my cortisol has dropped. Also my heart rate throughout the day is more stable, which I think means little cortisol is in play.

 

[dookie]

@dookie haha well, I must have had extremely low estrogen levels then, because I was a chaotic mess. I'm only glad that I have some more structure in my life.

But is ADD a sign low estrogen then? Because most people diagnosed with ADD that I know have the same problem. Unable to make habits, chaotic work, chaotic work place.

I highly doubt that. Cortisol will elevate estrogen more than anything, and with theanine, taurine and glycine, I'm sure my cortisol has dropped. Also my heart rate throughout the day is more stable, which I think means little cortisol is in play.

I'm not saying that ADD is low estrogen.

Sometimes, estrogen can have this seemingly beneficial effect, of making people more organized, in the same way that it can lower hot flashes, help insomnia, joint pain, etc. Of course, this is all in the short term, and it works by excitation, so in the long run, or when you get "off it", the problems return. Also the risks are stroke, cancer, etc.

I also think estrogen lowers cortisol (in the short run), as when I drink beer, I get very bloated and estrogenic, but all my high cortisol signs disappear.

Just some things to keep in mind when judging the effects of supplements; be careful of things that make you feel better temporarily, as all the stress hormones - serotonin, cortisol, estrogen - can have some effects which seem "healthy" or "good".

That's why I was asking about the bloating or water retention, like try poking down your cheek with a finger, and see if there is any water retention below the skin: the spot where you poked will return to normal position a bit slowly when you remove the finger, and you will see the skin swelling, if there is excess water. Normally though, it's easy to know if you feel bloated and swollen or not, as this is easily felt.

If you don't have water retention and bloating, or other excess estrogen symptoms, then I guess it's not estrogen, which is good :)

 

[haidut]

Wondering would it be safe to give my son theanine when he is currently on - 15mg of a amphetamines and 3mg of SSRI ? He is very very anxious/ self hurting and has OCD a ADD. Thank you for any help.

ADD/ADHD is a condition of primarily low dopamine. That is why it is treated with functionally dopaminergic drugs like amphetamines, which may help but destroy the dopaminergic system in the long run and a person has to take them for life to stay normal. Not sure why your son is on SSRI. Serotonergic drugs have never been shown to help ADD/ADHD and they have other toxicities as discussed on the forum. Something line pramipexole or even bromocriptine makes a lot more sense than SSRI and amphetamines.

 

[StrongMom]

As I mentioned in my recent post on glycine lowering cortisol, I have suspected for a long time that inhibitory amino acids that act as GABA agonists will lower cortisol levels. The reason for this suspicion is that GABA agonist pharma drugs are used for treating the high cortisol of people with Cushing syndrome/disease. I posted an animal study some time ago showing that a hefty dose of theanine (1g+) lowered cortisol in animals. Now, this human study replicated the results and the even better news is that the dose is quite "low" compared to the animal study. The human dose used in this study was only 200mg and the effects were quite long lived as the cortisol lowering did not kick in until 3 hours after the amino acid was administered.

Anti-Stress, Behavioural and Magnetoencephalography Effects of an l-Theanine-Based Nutrient Drink: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, ... - PubMed - NCBI

"...Due to evidence of violations to the assumption of normality in cortisol change, which were not corrected by transformation, non-parametric analysis of treatment effects was conducted. Results of Wilcoxon signed ranks tests showed no significant differences in cortisol change between active treatment compared to placebo 1 h post-dose (z = 1.28, p > 0.05, median cortisol response: placebo = −0.19, active = −0.02), but a significantly lower cortisol response 3 h post-dose for the active treatment visit (z = −1.98, p = 0.047, median cortisol response: placebo = 0.44, active = −0.09). A series of analyses were run in order to exclude the possibility that completion of the MEG component of the study immediately preceding this assessment differentially impacted cortisol responses. Mann–Whitney U-tests indicated that cortisol levels did not differ between MEG and non-MEG participants at the 3-h pre-MTF assessment at either treatment visit (placebo: z = −0.92, p = 0.372; active: z = −1.32, p = 0.197), nor did the MTF-related change in cortisol differ between MEG and non-MEG participants at either treatment visit (placebo: z = −0.92, p = 0.372; active: z = −0.33, p = 0.771) Change in cortisol for each assessment point is plotted for both treatment visits in Figure 2."

Attached is also a screenshot from the study that shows that theanine basically lowered stress-induced cortisol levels back to placebo status BEFORE stress.

Haidut-- is it possible that we might unintentionally raise adrenaline while reducing cortisol by theanine? Theanine has been the best sleep aid for me for months. The reason I am asking is that in the last week or so I have significantly been suffering from hyperventilation and hard time controlling it with supplements. I have hearth palpitations and a bit hard time staying asleep. I have been thinking as what has changed, what might be causing this. Recently, I had to increase my theanine dosage as I had a short trip to China. Suffering from jet lag, I used theanine extensively to sleep while I was there and also here back at home. Is it possible that as my body is under stress but cortisol is capped, it has to produce more adrenaline?

Obviously, there might be other things as well. I couldn't control my pufa and overall fat intake while on the trip among other things.

 

[haidut]

Haidut-- is it possible that we might unintentionally raise adrenaline while reducing cortisol by theanine? Theanine has been the best sleep aid for me for months. The reason I am asking is that in the last week or so I have significantly been suffering from hyperventilation and hard time controlling it with supplements. I have hearth palpitations and a bit hard time staying asleep. I have been thinking as what has changed, what might be causing this. Recently, I had to increase my theanine dosage as I had a short trip to China. Suffering from jet lag, I used theanine extensively to sleep while I was there and also here back at home. Is it possible that as my body is under stress but cortisol is capped, it has to produce more adrenaline?

Obviously, there might be other things as well. I couldn't control my pufa and overall fat intake while on the trip among other things.

It is possible, but as far as I know theanine also lowers adrenaline. If that is the case, you may end up in a situation where stress hormones are lowered and if thyroid is not there to provide metabolic support you may end up feeling worse. How's your thyroid function in terms of temp and pulse?

 

[FredSonoma]

Cortisol is one of the most potent stimulators of aromatase. The estrogenic effects of green tea are probably due to the flavanols and EGCG contents, not theanine. GABA agonists like theanine are highly unlikely to raise estrogen, and will probably lower it. GABA agonists also (usually) upregulate 5-AR, which is another point against estrogen.

Do you think overall Green Tea is a net negative, or the estrogenic effects might be worth it? Theanine powder bothers my stomach / gives me weird farts.

 

[haidut]

Do you think overall Green Tea is a net negative, or the estrogenic effects might be worth it? Theanine powder bothers my stomach / gives me weird farts.

I don't know if it is a net negative but the evidence for it being net estrogenic is strong.

 

[Elephanto]

I feel like pure theanine make my hair worst and I found a similar reaction on a hair loss forum. anyone has this experience ?

It's also interesting to see that high Gaba function is found in prostate cancer and promotes cell proliferation.
Expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (subtype A) in prostate cancer. - PubMed - NCBI

Hair loss and prostate cancer go hand in hand. Englishmen also seem to have a higher percentage of balding men and they ingest a lot of theanine. Japan do too but in the form of green tea that is anti-androgenic and probably counteracts theanine's effect. This is only an hypothesis of course but I'd really be curious if people here have this experience.

 

[beachbum]

I feel like pure theanine make my hair worst and I found a similar reaction on a hair loss forum. anyone has this experience ?

It's also interesting to see that high Gaba function is found in prostate cancer and promotes cell proliferation.
Expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (subtype A) in prostate cancer. - PubMed - NCBI

Hair loss and prostate cancer go hand in hand. Englishmen also seem to have a higher percentage of balding men and they ingest a lot of theanine. Japan do too but in the form of green tea that is anti-androgenic and probably counteracts theanine's effect. This is only an hypothesis of course but I'd really be curious if people here have this experience.

Just adding my experience with green tea ( im 52 yrs old female) I get very tired and can't focous from green tea, but for some weird reason just about anything that says it suppose to do one thing it does the opposite. Example: I made a drink with turmeric, ginger 2 teaspoons each, lime juice from 1, dash cayenne in 2 quarts wster which gave me a headache, gss, joint pain.

Thank you
Beachbum

 

[docall18]

As I mentioned in my recent post on glycine lowering cortisol, I have suspected for a long time that inhibitory amino acids that act as GABA agonists will lower cortisol levels. The reason for this suspicion is that GABA agonist pharma drugs are used for treating the high cortisol of people with Cushing syndrome/disease. I posted an animal study some time ago showing that a hefty dose of theanine (1g+) lowered cortisol in animals. Now, this human study replicated the results and the even better news is that the dose is quite "low" compared to the animal study. The human dose used in this study was only 200mg and the effects were quite long lived as the cortisol lowering did not kick in until 3 hours after the amino acid was administered.

Anti-Stress, Behavioural and Magnetoencephalography Effects of an l-Theanine-Based Nutrient Drink: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, ... - PubMed - NCBI

"...Due to evidence of violations to the assumption of normality in cortisol change, which were not corrected by transformation, non-parametric analysis of treatment effects was conducted. Results of Wilcoxon signed ranks tests showed no significant differences in cortisol change between active treatment compared to placebo 1 h post-dose (z = 1.28, p > 0.05, median cortisol response: placebo = −0.19, active = −0.02), but a significantly lower cortisol response 3 h post-dose for the active treatment visit (z = −1.98, p = 0.047, median cortisol response: placebo = 0.44, active = −0.09). A series of analyses were run in order to exclude the possibility that completion of the MEG component of the study immediately preceding this assessment differentially impacted cortisol responses. Mann–Whitney U-tests indicated that cortisol levels did not differ between MEG and non-MEG participants at the 3-h pre-MTF assessment at either treatment visit (placebo: z = −0.92, p = 0.372; active: z = −1.32, p = 0.197), nor did the MTF-related change in cortisol differ between MEG and non-MEG participants at either treatment visit (placebo: z = −0.92, p = 0.372; active: z = −0.33, p = 0.771) Change in cortisol for each assessment point is plotted for both treatment visits in Figure 2."

Attached is also a screenshot from the study that shows that theanine basically lowered stress-induced cortisol levels back to placebo status BEFORE stress.

My experience with caffeine and theanine:

I have been taking coffee/caffeine approx 5-600mg/day (after meals & with sugar)for last few months. I have also been taking 400mg theanine, aspirin, cascara, glycine etc. It has stimulated me and increased my temps and I have felt good.
However i have been getting progressively fatter around the belly, a bloated stomach and sleeping poorly.

I have recently realised that this is all high cortisol as a result of the caffeine. I have taken hydrocortisone before and cortisol does stimulate you and make you feel good.

So caffeine is definitely not for everyone. Like many, I do have low range Dhea (testing low before and after caffeine supplementation) that possibly didnt help.

 

[milk_lover]

I feel like pure theanine make my hair worst and I found a similar reaction on a hair loss forum. anyone has this experience ?

It's also interesting to see that high Gaba function is found in prostate cancer and promotes cell proliferation.
Expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (subtype A) in prostate cancer. - PubMed - NCBI

Hair loss and prostate cancer go hand in hand. Englishmen also seem to have a higher percentage of balding men and they ingest a lot of theanine. Japan do too but in the form of green tea that is anti-androgenic and probably counteracts theanine's effect. This is only an hypothesis of course but I'd really be curious if people here have this experience.

Levant arabic men (egypt, syria, lebanon etc..) seem to get bald very early. They happen to be addicted to black tea. They also eat a lot of legumes and vegetable oils/olive oil.
But when I supplement theanine it relaxes me. I would be interested to know why it makes your hair worse. Does theanine lower blood sugar when it lowers cortisol?

 

[moonmeadow]

I am in the middle of an extreme period of stress, and am feeling the effects physically and mentally. I would love to hear advice on managing my stress in such a way that I don't have to spend the next few years paying the price!

My husband has end stage cancer. He is paralyzed from the chest down, requiring diapers, being moved with a lift, etc. I am the primary caregiver, with occasional respites from family and hospice. I am not sleeping very much. I am physically exhausted. My diet is terrible, neither particularly nutritious nor pleasurable, as all he wants to eat are his childhood comfort foods: potato chips, pretzels, hot dogs, peanuts, doughnuts, and fortunately ice cream. In theory, I could make myself meals separate from his, but the reality is, I just don't have the energy to do it, so I end up eating the same crap as him. I have put on a lot of very uncomfortable weight around my middle, which is causing further stress! I am very bloated and gassy. I alternate between constipation and diarrhea. My nose is always blocked, causing me to breathe through my mouth most of the time. My teeth ache, my gums are receding and bleeding. i am having frequent migraines, shortness of breath, occasional back spasms, and feeling like I am going to faint when I am in public. Also, I am 50, and going through menopause.

I am taking Estroban, Pansterone, aspirin, ubiquinol, niacinimide, a lot of coffee (thank god for coffee). I love carrot salad, but usually just manage to eat a raw carrot while fixing supper.

Any ideas for me? I would love to mitigate the effects of this stressful time. Is there hope??

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

I am in the middle of an extreme period of stress, and am feeling the effects physically and mentally. I would love to hear advice on managing my stress in such a way that I don't have to spend the next few years paying the price!

My husband has end stage cancer. He is paralyzed from the chest down, requiring diapers, being moved with a lift, etc. I am the primary caregiver, with occasional respites from family and hospice. I am not sleeping very much. I am physically exhausted. My diet is terrible, neither particularly nutritious nor pleasurable, as all he wants to eat are his childhood comfort foods: potato chips, pretzels, hot dogs, peanuts, doughnuts, and fortunately ice cream. In theory, I could make myself meals separate from his, but the reality is, I just don't have the energy to do it, so I end up eating the same crap as him. I have put on a lot of very uncomfortable weight around my middle, which is causing further stress! I am very bloated and gassy. I alternate between constipation and diarrhea. My nose is always blocked, causing me to breathe through my mouth most of the time. My teeth ache, my gums are receding and bleeding. i am having frequent migraines, shortness of breath, occasional back spasms, and feeling like I am going to faint when I am in public. Also, I am 50, and going through menopause.

I am taking Estroban, Pansterone, aspirin, ubiquinol, niacinimide, a lot of coffee (thank god for coffee). I love carrot salad, but usually just manage to eat a raw carrot while fixing supper.

Any ideas for me? I would love to mitigate the effects of this stressful time. Is there hope??

Moonmeadow, there is definitely hope! As long as all our illnesses are caused by our modern day world, and our bodies are healing machines, we can begin reversing degeneration by getting away from the S.A.D. diet and current health dogma...and start healing immediately!
One of the things I love most about Dr. Peat is that his diet recommendations can be the simplest, and most delicious, out there. (I also gotta give credit where credit is due...eating the bounty and way God intended for us in the first place!) Dr. Peat says the most therapeutic diet consists of just consuming 2 quarts of low-fat milk (organic if you can find it) and 2 quarts of fresh squeezed or from concentrate (made with spring or filtered water) orange juice. How simple is that? I love to mix these and drink my 'Orange Creamsicle'. Num! Have you tried a lactase supplement with your milk? If that doesn't fix bloating then instead eat lots of local cheese, or even just cheese for complete protein.
But then there are lots of simple and delicious (i.e. comforting and satisfying) foods you can add to increase calorie needs...like ice cream! The three I have found that are healthy are Breyers Natural Vanilla (mixed with o.j. or coffee...num!), and Hagen Daz Strawberry or Coffee flavored. If you have access to farm eggs these are little healthy gems! I buy a few dozen at a time and they last for weeks. To them add cheese and/or jams, but you've got to eat a sugary food /drink to keep blood sugar levels steady. Add frozen chopped spinach for calcium and critical minerals. Lots of sweet, juicy pineapple and papaya plain, or combined with ice cream or coconut milk in a blender with to make a pina colada smoothie is amazing!
Instead of potato chips I make alot of potatoes w butter and salt...very satisfying and simple to make! Often I add cheese and green onions and bacon, paired with a sweet drink (green tea and honey, fruit juice, turnback Pepsi) for a complete meal.
I buy Bugels sometimes on the weekends if I just need to 'scratch' that crunchy chip itch. I'm not saying the quality of the coconut oil, or the corn, they use is good, but at least you're avoiding the plague called PUFAs!
I have to stop here for now, but have more ideas on diet if this is helping! I'm sorry you're living with such difficult circumstances now. I'm sure other folks here have lots of good recommendations for managing stress. Hold on...help is on the way!

 

[moonmeadow]

Thank you for your response! I have a cow due to calve in the next 24 hours, so soon I can add a couple of quarts of milk a day, and I feel really good when I drink milk, so you're right--there is hope! I have never tolerated orange juice very well, perhaps I should give it another try...

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

@Kim Many of my add symptoms has gone away in the last 2 weeks, and I think it is mainly because of taurine, theanine and glycine I take.

I don't take ritalin anymore. But for example, I'm for the first time in my life able to make habits, like brushing my teeth. You know, I would regularly brush my teeth, but it never felt like an habit to me, always I had to think about, and sometimes I would just forget.

Also, my sleep had been consistent, a bit late still, from 2 am to 10, but I can't remember a time that it had been so consistent.

My university work is so much organized, my work would be a chaotic mess. Even my handwriting has improved tremendously.

And so much more little things have changed, like for example, I put the cards of my wallet back in my wallet after I used them, I'm on time in my classes, I automatically make long term plans, I would never even think about what to do tomorrow, if I would not push myself.

Oh and I forget, my addictive behaviour has completely gone.

What a great success story Kasper! Saving this one for future reference. It deserves a happy dance...