The Hindu Business Line : All in a cup of tea

Ever wondered why your cup of tea makes you feel relaxed and alert at the same time? Well, the paradox in the tea cup seems to stir down to an ingredient called theanine, an aminoacid that is quite unique to tea!

Tea and good health is an association that researchers have been making for some time now, says Dr Vilas Sinkar, Head of Unilever Food Health Institute, Bangalore. But only in the last few years researchers have looked at theanine.

Theanine is present in one’s regular cuppa, and within 45 minutes of consuming tea, it crosses the blood-brain barrier, both reviving and relaxing the individual, he says. It has been found that theanine increases the alpha waves generated in the brain that help relax and focus. And though researchers may have known of the presence of theanine in tea, there was no clarity on what it did, he explains.

Theanine is also found in wild mushroom, he admits, but it is not easily and commercially available. Besides, mushrooms need standard conditions to be grown, he adds.

Research conducted by the UK-based Lipton Institute of Tea (the R&D arm of Lipton Tea) to understand the rejuvenating effect from tea, linked it to theanine, and found that the unique effect felt by tea drinkers is rather different from those experienced by the consumption of other hot beverages. This links regular consumption of tea with improved mind benefits, claims a note from Hindustan Unilever.

New research from the institute indicates that theanine is predominantly associated with the positive effect that tea has on mood and clarity of mind.

The positive effects of theanine have been studied at Oxford University in the UK, Nathan Kline Institute in New York and other leading institutions around the world too, says the company.

Tea consumption on a high

As a consequence of increased tea literature, the consumption of tea is going up, says Dr Sinkar. But the amount of theanine delivered to the drinker depends on where the tea is grown, how it is cultivated, packaged, and manufactured.

The trick is to consistently deliver the right amount of theanine in tea to prove advantageous to the consumer, he says. It requires 45 mg of theanine to get the benefit and that is usually delivered by three to four cups of tea, he says. Every cup of tea has about 15 mg of theanine.

Herbal teas and the like that are not from the tea plant, do not contain theanine, he adds. Green and black teas do, he clarifies, though the level of theanine is different. Green tea, that uses less leaves, delivers less of theanine, unlike black tea, which uses more leaves.

The good thing about a cup of tea, is that it has no side-effects, says nutritionist Dr Niti Desai. After water, it is one of the healthiest beverages, when taken without milk and sugar. It is almost zero calorie, heart-friendly and filled with anti-oxidants.

Theanine marketing gets bigger

Lipton would like to commercialise this insight, agrees Dr Sinkar. In India, HUL looks to score a first through its Lipton Yellow Label tea that promises to give the right level of theanine with every cuppa. In fact, the institute in Bangalore is researching on how to get theanine to occur naturally in the tea plant, he said.

For the regular tea-drinker, it is time to wash down those guilt pangs and leverage the benefits of tea.

Theanine improves work performance and it would benefit those looking to climb the career ladder, as it keeps the individual alert, says Dr Desai.

It is no longer just EQ (emotional quotient) and IQ (intellectual quotient) that are necessary for one’s career; physical fitness is important too.

So for those looking to beat stress and climb that ladder, it’s time to grab another cup of tea!

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