Loads of individuals depend on caffeine to really feel sharp and targeted.
The issue is that the majority overshoot the dose. One robust espresso or an vitality drink too many, and as a substitute of feeling locked in, they’re jittery, anxious, and mentally far and wide.
That’s the place L-theanine is available in.
L-theanine is an amino acid discovered primarily in tea, and it really works as caffeine’s counterbalance. Whereas caffeine ramps you up, L-theanine smooths you out, serving to you keep calm, targeted, and productive—with out the crash or scattered consideration.
On this article, you’ll learn the way L-theanine and caffeine work together and have an effect on your physique. You’ll additionally uncover their advantages, the proper L-theanine-to-caffeine ratio, and methods to discover one of the best caffeine and L-theanine complement for you.
Key Takeaways
- L-theanine and caffeine have an effect on your mind in complementary methods. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and boosts alertness, whereas L-theanine promotes calm by balancing neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin.
- Analysis exhibits that combining caffeine and L-theanine improves vitality, consideration, response time, and multitasking potential extra successfully than taking both compound by itself.
- The optimum L-theanine and caffeine ratio is between 1-to-1 and 2-to-1. If you happen to’re taking 100 mg of caffeine, goal for 100-to-200 mg of L-theanine for one of the best outcomes.
- To get the total advantages of L-theanine and caffeine, search for merchandise with efficient doses and high-quality elements, like Peak.
How Does L-Theanine and Caffeine Have an effect on Your Physique?
Caffeine’s main results within the physique are to stimulate the central nervous system and block the exercise of adenosine, a chemical that causes tiredness. It additionally will increase ranges of neurotransmitters like dopamine and acetylcholine, which improve alertness, consideration, and temper.
L-theanine, alternatively, helps steadiness the degrees of a number of chemical substances within the mind, together with glutamate, serotonin, and GABA, all of which have an effect on temper, cognitive efficiency, and different elements of psychological perform.
When mixed, caffeine and L-theanine complement one another. Caffeine will increase alertness and vitality, whereas L-theanine takes the sting off the potential jitteriness or nervousness, leading to smoother, extra targeted psychological vitality.
What Are L-Theanine and Caffeine’s Advantages?
The mixture of L-theanine and caffeine has been proven to enhance focus, consideration, and psychological efficiency extra successfully than both compound alone.
For instance, a examine printed within the journal Diet Analysis discovered that individuals reacted sooner and had been much less distracted after taking caffeine plus L-theanine in comparison with caffeine alone, L-theanine alone, or a placebo.
Equally, a examine printed in Dietary Neuroscience discovered that supplementing with caffeine and L-theanine considerably improved response time and a focus in comparison with taking caffeine or theanine individually or a placebo.
In a examine printed within the Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, researchers had elite curling athletes take both caffeine, L-theanine, L-theanine and caffeine, or a placebo earlier than performing a psychological process and a number of other exact curling pictures.
The outcomes confirmed that whereas taking caffeine or L-theanine alone had a small impact on efficiency, taking a mixture yielded significantly better outcomes.
One other examine printed in Urge for food confirmed that taking L-theanine and caffeine helped individuals swap between duties sooner and extra precisely in comparison with a placebo, suggesting the mix can enhance your potential to juggle completely different jobs on the identical time.
And in one more examine printed in Dietary Neuroscience, researchers discovered that combining L-theanine and caffeine improved individuals’s potential to modify between mentally demanding duties and ignore distractions.
A number of extra research echo these findings, leaving little doubt that supplementing with L-theanine and caffeine sharpens focus and boosts cognitive efficiency, particularly for duties that require fast pondering and shifting consideration.
Different analysis additionally means that L-theanine could cut back a few of caffeine’s downsides, notably by reducing the chance of caffeine-induced complications and reversing its unfavourable results on mind blood movement.
What’s the Excellent L-Theanine Caffeine Ratio?
Most research exhibiting advantages from combining L-theanine with caffeine use a L-theanine-to-caffeine ratio of between 1:1 and a pair of:1.
In different phrases, in the event you take 100 mg of caffeine, pair it with 100-to-200 mg of L-theanine.
The right way to Discover the Greatest L-Theanine and Caffeine Complement
The complement market is flooded with caffeine and L-theanine merchandise—however many use generic elements and ineffective doses.
Peak is completely different.
Peak accommodates clinically efficient doses of patented types of caffeine and L-theanine: Suntheanine®, essentially the most studied type of L-theanine with over 40 peer-reviewed research supporting its advantages, and PurCaf®, a pure, natural type of caffeine.
It additionally accommodates no synthetic fillers, meals dyes, or different pointless junk. And it’s examined in an ISO 17025-accredited lab for purity and efficiency, has a clear label with no proprietary blends, and is made in NSF-certified, FDA-inspected, and cGMP-compliant services.
In different phrases, if you need a clear, secure, and potent L-theanine and caffeine complement to boost vitality, focus, and cognitive efficiency, attempt Peak.
FAQ #1: Can you discover L-theanine in vitality drinks?
Sure. For instance, Legion’s vitality drink accommodates 150 mg of each caffeine and L-theanine.
The principle distinction between an vitality drink and a standalone caffeine and L-theanine complement is what else is within the components. Vitality drinks often embrace extra elements designed to spice up vitality or temper, whereas most caffeine and L-theanine dietary supplements include solely these two compounds.
One other distinction is the shape: vitality drinks are liquids, whereas L-theanine and caffeine dietary supplements sometimes are available in capsule or pill kind.
READ MORE: Pre-Exercise vs. Vitality Drink: Which Is Greatest for You?
FAQ #2: Are you able to drink espresso and theanine?
Sure—combining L-theanine with espresso is a well-liked strategy to get each compounds, particularly in the event you’re utilizing espresso as your caffeine supply.
Nevertheless, L-theanine powder has a particular style—some discover it candy, others bitter—which may alter the flavour of your espresso in unpredictable (and often disagreeable) methods.
If you happen to’re utilizing L-theanine powder, it’s higher to combine it with water and take it simply earlier than consuming your espresso for a similar advantages with out compromising the style.
FAQ #3: How lengthy does L-theanine final?
Analysis exhibits that L-theanine ranges peak within the blood round 50 minutes after ingestion, which is when its results are more likely to be strongest. Its half-life is simply over an hour, which means you’ll sometimes really feel the consequences for round 2-to-4 hours after taking it.
Scientific References +
- Kahathuduwa, Chanaka N., et al. “L -Theanine and Caffeine Enhance Goal-Particular Consideration to Visible Stimuli by Lowering Thoughts Wandering: A Human Practical Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research.” Diet Analysis, vol. 49, Jan. 2018, pp. 67–78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2017.11.002. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.
- Kahathuduwa, Chanaka N., et al. “Acute Results of Theanine, Caffeine and Theanine–Caffeine Mixture on Consideration.” Dietary Neuroscience, vol. 20, no. 6, 12 Feb. 2016, pp. 369–377, https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415x.2016.1144845. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.
- Ümüt Yılmaz, et al. “Impact of Single or Mixed Caffeine and L-Theanine Supplementation on Capturing and Cognitive Efficiency in Elite Curling Athletes: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Managed Research.” Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, vol. 20, no. 1, 10 Oct. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2267536. Accessed 24 Nov. 2023.
- Einöther, Suzanne J.L., et al. “L-Theanine and Caffeine Enhance Process Switching however Not Intersensory Consideration or Subjective Alertness.” Urge for food, vol. 54, no. 2, Apr. 2010, pp. 406–409, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2010.01.003. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019.
- Owen, Gail N., et al. “The Mixed Results of L-Theanine and Caffeine on Cognitive Efficiency and Temper.” Dietary Neuroscience, vol. 11, no. 4, Aug. 2008, pp. 193–198, https://doi.org/10.1179/147683008×301513.
- Kelly, Simon P., et al. “L-Theanine and Caffeine in Mixture Have an effect on Human Cognition as Evidenced by Oscillatory Alpha-Band Exercise and Consideration Process Efficiency.” The Journal of Diet, vol. 138, no. 8, 1 Aug. 2008, pp. 1572S1577S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/138.8.1572s. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.
- Giesbrecht, T., et al. “The Mixture of L-Theanine and Caffeine Improves Cognitive Efficiency and Will increase Subjective Alertness.” Dietary Neuroscience, vol. 13, no. 6, Dec. 2010, pp. 283–290, https://doi.org/10.1179/147683010×12611460764840.
- Rogers, Peter J., et al. “Time for Tea: Temper, Blood Strain and Cognitive Efficiency Results of Caffeine and Theanine Administered Alone and Collectively.” Psychopharmacology, vol. 195, no. 4, 23 Sept. 2007, pp. 569–577, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0938-1. Accessed 19 Oct. 2019.
- Dodd, F. L., et al. “A Double-Blind, Placebo-Managed Research Evaluating the Results of Caffeine and L-Theanine Each Alone and in Mixture on Cerebral Blood Move, Cognition and Temper.” Psychopharmacology, vol. 232, no. 14, 1 July 2015, pp. 2563–2576, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25761837, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3895-0. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.
- Haskell, Crystal F., et al. “The Results of L-Theanine, Caffeine and Their Mixture on Cognition and Temper.” Organic Psychology, vol. 77, no. 2, Feb. 2008, pp. 113–122, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051107001573?viapercent3Dihub, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.09.008.
- van der Pijl, P.C., et al. “Human Disposition of L-Theanine in Tea or Aqueous Resolution.” Journal of Practical Meals, vol. 2, no. 4, Oct. 2010, pp. 239–244, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2010.08.001. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020.
Discussion about this post