Jumpy and Distracted? Drink Tea

Improved focus joins long list of tea's health benefits
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2007 10:16 AM CDT
Jumpy and Distracted? Drink Tea
New research suggests that tea soothes the soul and focuses the mind.

New hope for the twitchy and distracted has arrived in the form of an ancient brew—tea makes people feel more alert and at the same time more relaxed, new research suggests. The findings add another possible benefit to a beverage already vaunted as a preventer of heart attacks, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers, US News and World Report reports.

Whereas previous research focused on tea's antioxidant properties, a new study examines the effects of theanine, an amino acid found in tea. Neuroscientists believe theanine causes a decrease in the brain's "alpha rhythms" when people perform complex attention tasks, enabling them to pay closer attention. Theanine may offer hope for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's treatments. (More tea stories.)

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