According to
estimates from WHO, over 450 million people throughout the world suffer from
stress. Stress could be the biggest health risk.
Previous studies
have already shown that green tea and its extracts can have a positive impact
on our health. In fact, studies have reported that the extracts may also help
prevent Alzheimer’s and some kinds of cancer. In addition, they are said to
improve cardiovascular and oral health as well as assist with weight
management. (1)
Recent trials
suggest that L-theanine, which is a constituent of green tea, reduces responses
to acute psychological stress. Although green tea or its constituents might
reduce psychological stress, the relation between green tea consumption and
psychological distress has not been investigated in a large-scale study.
In 2009, a study
was conducted to clarify whether green tea consumption is associated with lower
psychological distress. Data for 42,093 Japanese individuals aged 40 from the
general population were analyzed. Researches used multiple logistic regression
analyses adjusted for age, sex, history of disease, body mass index, cigarette
smoking, alcohol consumption, time spent walking, dietary factors, social support,
and participation in community activities to investigate the relation between
green tea consumption and psychological distress. They classified 2774 (6.6%)
of the respondents as having psychological distress. There was an inverse
association between green tea consumption and psychological distress in a model
adjusted for age and sex. (2)
They found a
statistically significant inverse relationship between the consumption of green
tea and psychological distress for individuals who drank five cups or more of green
tea each day; this is in comparison to individuals who only had one cup or less
each day.
A recent study has
shown that if you drink five cups of green tea each day, you may reduce
occurrences of psychological distress by up to 20 percent. Further study will
need to be done to clarify the bioactives and mechanisms in play. (1)
1- Hansen, F. (2017, MARCH
24). Research Shows that Green Tea Can Relieve Stress. The ADRENAL FATIGUE. Retrieved
from https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/green-tea-can-relieve-stress/
2- Hozawa, A., Kuriyama, S., Nakaya, N., Ohmori-Matsuda, K., Kakizaki, M., Sone, T., … Tsuji, I. (2009). Green Tea
Consumption Is Associated with Lower Psychological Distress in a General
Population: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 90(5), 1390-6. Retrieved from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/5/1390.full