Here at Nutrisips, we incorporate L-theanine into a variety of products, from our Energy and Endurance Supplements, which use L-theanine to deliver a smooth, jitter-free energy burst, to our Daily Nutrition supplements including our Nutrisips Stress and Nutrisips Sleep gels.
But you may be wondering: what is L-theanine, and how is it able to produce so many diverse benefits, for purposes ranging from focus and energy, to stress and sleep?
In this article, we answer all of your most commonly asked questions about L-theanine, telling you everything you need to know about this all-natural supplement for a healthy mind.
L-theanine is a naturally-occurring compound extracted from green tea leaves. Though L-theanine is an amino acid, the human body doesn’t produce it on its own, which is why Nutrisips harnesses L theanine to offer benefits for a variety of purposes.
In recent years, L-theanine has grown incredibly popular, as research emerges supporting its benefits for:
And much more. Read on to learn more about the benefits of L-theanine in-depth.
Research has shown that L theanine produces impressive benefits for the body, mind, and brain, including:
Though people use green tea extracts for many purposes, the most popular reason people turn to L theanine is to reduce anxiety and stress. Research shows that L theanine exerts a calming effect on the brain, soothing regions where overactivity can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. Other studies suggest that L theanine reduces stress by reducing the production of stress-inducing hormones such as cortisol. And brain imaging has shown that L theanine even showed positive differences in brainwaves in those with anxiety, causing changes "indicative of relaxation in the brain” and of a “calming response.”
Unlike other, stress-reducing supplements, L theanine doesn’t cause drowsiness. Instead, it promotes an alert, calm, and clear state of mind. This is why L Theanine is a key ingredient in Nutrisips Stress.
L theanine can also improve focus, while sharpening cognition.
In studies investigating L-theanine’s benefits for focus, researchers found that during demanding tasks, participants who took L-theanine were more vigilant and made fewer errors. In a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), participants who consumed L-theanine showed lower error rates, higher accuracy, and completed tasks faster.
In another study on the benefits of L theanine for ADHD, researchers found that a combination of L-theanine and caffeine improved cognition; reduced “mind wandering”; and helped participants sustain attention on the task at hand.
This is why Nutrisips combines L theanine and caffeine in supplements for Energy, where it works together with caffeine to enhance focus, while smoothing out the jitters typically associated with too much coffee.
Other studies have shown that L-theanine can improve mood, and that it may benefit overall mental health. Researchers believe that L theanine boosts mood by increasing the body's levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are naturally-occurring neurotransmitters associated with a positive impact on mood, satisfaction, happiness, and more.
L theanine also benefits sleep, which is why it's included in our Nutrisips Sleep supplement. Research has shown that by promoting relaxation and reducing stress, L theanine makes it easier to fall asleep, while improving the quality of the sleep we receive. By improving sleep quality, L theanine can help you achieve the deep, restful sleep you need to feel truly rested each day.
In addition to improving mental health, L theanine could also support a healthy heart. Research indicates that L theanine may lower blood pressure while improving circulation--factors that are crucial to reducing the risk of heart disease or other cardiovascular complications.
FDA has categorized L theanine as GRAS, or, “generally recognized as safe.” Most studies have shown that L theanine appears safe and well-tolerated by participants.
Nutrisips delivers L-theanine in high-bioavailability liquid gels, ready to sip and perfect for use on-the-go. Our use of liquid, rather than solid, L-theanine gives our products higher bioavailability, potency, and efficacy.
Bioavailability refers to the amount of a substance that, once ingested, reaches the bloodstream to produce effects. In other words, the bioavailability rate of your supplement determines how much of the initial dose you’ll actually experience the effects of. Typically, we take for granted that, when we consume a certain amount of a supplement, our body will be able to utilize and experience the benefits of that dose.
But with low-bioavailability L-theanine supplements, this isn’t the case. This is because when you swallow an L-theanine gummy, capsule, or tablet, it has to travel through the digestive system and internal organs before it dissolves and can reach the bloodstream. In the process, much of the L-theanine you originally consumed is broken down by stomach acids and other metabolic processes. And by the time the remaining L theanine actually makes it into your bloodstream, only a fraction of your original dose remains--and that’s the only part of your dose that will actually produce effects.
This is why Nutrisips offers liquid L-theanine supplements for energy, focus, sleep, stress, and more. When you consume L-theanine in a liquid format, it’s already dissolved. This means that our L theanine supplements go through minimal processing in the digestive system, and reach the bloodstream faster--preventing your dosage from being destroyed before it can produce effects. And this is why Nutrisips liquid L-theanine supplements are more effective than solid supplements such as L theanine gummies, L theanine drops, L theanine capsules, or L theanine tablets.
