L-theanine Supplements: Benefits and Side Effects

You may be consuming L-theanine through black or green tea and even mushrooms. L-theanine is an amino acid with multiple health benefits and can be consumed naturally or through supplements. 

While many people use it to improve brain functioning, it also aids in weight loss, controls blood pressure, and promotes healthy sleeping patterns. L-theanine supplements come in either plain L-theanine compounds or mixed with other essential nutrients to enhance their functioning. 

What Are L-theanine Supplements?

L-theanine supplements get used for multiple health purposes. Mostly, people use these supplements to help with anxiety. However, you will come across various supplements of L-theanine that help cognitive function, decrease stress, improve sleep, lose weight, and enhance immunity. 

Certain nutrients and minerals can boost the performance of L-theanine. If you’re searching for L-theanine supplements to help with anxiety, you must pick pure L-theanine. When used with other substances, L-theanine might not reduce anxiety. If your supplement also contains caffeine and L-theanine, it may increase anxiety rather than decrease it. 

What Are L-theanine Supplements Good For?

L-theanine supplements are beneficial for numerous things. This amino acid is crucial for healthy brain performance; hence all L-theanine supplements will boost cognitive function. Most importantly, taking L-theanine supplements calms down people in stressful situations without making them drowsy. 

When mixed with melatonin, L-theanine supplements also aid in sleeping, especially for those with insomnia. When mixed with caffeine, L-theanine supplements increase focus and help people concentrate better. 

L-theanine Supplement: Benefits

L-theanine supplements, when consumed within the required dosage, improve health. While providing mental clarity and reducing stress, it also has other benefits. 

Provides Relaxation

Drinking a warm cup of tea usually helps us feel relaxed and less stressed. This is because of the L-theanine present in the tea. The amino acid boosts this feeling of relaxation by slowing down the heart rate. While this is a basic benefit of the supplement, further research is required. [1].

Improves Cognitive Performance

L-theanine and its supplements come with a neuroprotective effect that boosts brain function. When combined with caffeine, L-theanine supplements help people perform better by improving their focus and increasing alertness. 

A study showed that when people combined 97mg of L-theanine with 40mg of caffeine, they could perform better in difficult tasks. These supplements also help people feel less exhausted and more energetic throughout the day. [2][3]

Enhanced Focus

People consume tea so they can focus better while working. Research showed that people using L-theanine during or before work were less prone to make mistakes. However, more research is needed in this area to see the effects of L-theanine on increasing focus. [4]

Better Sleep

Studies prove that taking L-theanine supplements before bedtime promotes deeper and better sleep. This is caused by the impact of the amino acid on the brain, which calms it down and aids people in sleeping. 

A study including participants with anxiety and sleeping disorders showed that taking L-theanine supplements for 8 weeks daily improved sleep significantly. The dosage used in this study was between 450 to 900mg. [5]

Weight Loss

During weight loss treatment, green tea intake increase effectively helps reduce weight. L-theanine gives green tea a strong flavor, referred to as an umami flavor. This flavor impacts the appetite and reduces cravings, which helps with weight loss. 

L-theanine Supplement: Side Effects

Normally taking L-theanine from natural sources has little to no impact on the body. However, using L-theanine supplements, especially with other ingredients, could lead to side effects. The FDA also recognizes L-theanine as safe to use. However, the FDA doesn’t regulate L-theanine supplements, and it is the responsibility of the producers to ensure that their products are safe to use. 

When using L-theanine supplements, you should be careful about any interactions they may cause with other medications. L-theanine supplements interact with drugs used to control and lower blood pressure and stimulants used to treat ADHD and caffeine. 

Before using L-theanine supplements, ask your doctor to ensure they are completely safe. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, then you shouldn’t consume L-theanine supplements. 

There are no side effects reported from using L-theanine. Still, these supplements may cause nausea, irritability, and an upset stomach when used with caffeine. It is recommended to contact your physician before using any supplement, especially if you have any ongoing medical conditions. 

L-theanine Supplements: Dosage

L-theanine, when used as a medication, has no limit for dosage and is considered safe. The L-theanine supplements commonly available come in 200mg doses which you can use according to a doctor’s prescription. 

If you’re consuming L-theanine through tea, you should be wary of how much tea you consume because of its caffeine content. There is no danger of an overdose from L-theanine supplements. 

The Bottomline

L-theanine is a great natural source of boosting mental focus and improving cognitive functions. While L-theanine is primarily used to treat anxiety and stress, you can use it for other things. 

L-theanine supplements are readily available in the market, and you can use them accordingly. However, you should contact your doctor and check if they are safe for you to use.

More research is required to find the overall health benefits of L-theanine, but you can take some in the form of green tea, black tea, or even from some mushrooms. 

Disclaimer: This article is only a guide. It does not substitute the advice given by your healthcare professional. Before making any health-related decision, consult your healthcare professional.