And no, it’s not coffee…

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This hot drink shown to give men a huge memory boost

Tea and coffee are the two most popular caffeinated beverages in the world.

Both will give you a mental boost, but only tea is well known to have a calming effect.

The reason for this is that tea contains theanine, while coffee does not.

Theanine has been researched for its anti-anxiety effect and many people now take theanine supplements for anxiety.

But theanine also has protective effects on the brain.

Researchers recently discovered that the theanine can protect memory in aging.

The research suggests that theanine may even slow biological aging.

The animal experiments were carried out at Kangwon National University, Chunchon in the Republic of Korea. The results are published in the journal Food and Function.

You may not have heard of klotho, but it is a hot topic in aging and dementia research.

Klotho is a protein that was discovered in 1997.

Klotho has a lot of effects in the body, but most interestingly it seems to affect aging and the risk of dementia.

Mice with low levels of klotho age more rapidly and develop arteriosclerosis.

Research from 2008 showed that genetically modified mice with high levels of klotho live 20 to 30% longer than normal mice.

This research was designed to see the interactions between theanine and klotho in experimental mice.

“Theanine is an amino acid in tea, is a putative neuroprotective compound capable of improving lifespan and cognitive function.”

Previous experiments had shown that genetically modified mice who were deficient in klotho developed mental problems similar to dementia.

“We reported cognitive dysfunction in klotho mutant mice.”

In this experiment the researchers looked at the effect of theanine on mental performance in klotho deficient animals.

“We investigated whether self administration of theanine affects memory dysfunction in response to klotho gene depletion in mice.”

Theanine was able to counteract the effect of low levels of klotho.

Theanine protected mental function in animals predisposed to accelerated aging.

“Theanine significantly attenuated memory impairments in klotho mutant mice.”

The results indicate that theanine could protect memory even in people with a high genetic predisposition to dementia.

The researchers looked at the effects of theanine on proteins related to decreasing mental function.

Theanine helped maintain healthy levels of proteins and enzymes necessary for proper mental function.

“Theanine significantly attenuated inhibitions of JAK2/STAT3 phosphorylation, M1 mAChR expression, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the hippocampus of klotho mutant mice.”

When the researchers used experimental chemicals to block those effects they found theanine ineffective.

“AG490, a JAK2/STAT3 inhibitor, dicyclomine, an M1 mAChR antagonist, or U0126, an ERK1/2 inhibitor, significantly counteracted theanine-induced attenuation of memory impairment induced by klotho gene depletion in mice.”

Those experiments show the researchers exactly how theanine works.

Theanine protects against age associated problems in memory.

“Theanine attenuates memory impairments in a genetic aging model via up-regulation of JAK2/STAT3, M1 mAChR, and ERK signaling.”

Theanine is a remarkably safe substance with no side effects for most people. The United States it is recognized as a safe supplement.

Prior research has shown that theanine can increase lifespan.

Researchers at the University of Jena in Germany published the results of experiments looking at the effect of theanine on lifespan.

The research was done on nematodes and published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

“We tested whether l-theanine is capable of extending lifespan in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans.”

The experiments involved adding theanine to the environment of small worms and comparing the average lifespan against animals which were not given theanine.

Animals given theanine lived longer. Pointing towards a potential life extending ability of theanine.

“L-theanine is capable of promoting longevity, this compound may promote healthy lifespan in mammals and possibly humans.”

You should always consult a healthcare practitioner about treating and diagnosing health-related problems.

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