ABSTRACT
It is usual to begin an article on this subject by noting the worldwide popularity of tea, the only signiŠcant natural source of theanine in the human diet. Increasingly, though, theanine is being used as a dietary supplement as well as being consumed through intake of foods and drinks other than tea (as discussed in this chapter). Nevertheless, tea, after water, is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, with black tea representing the majority of tea consumption, and green tea being consumed mainly in Asia (Graham 1992), although it is becoming more popular in Western countries. Tea is reported to have a variety of beneŠcial effects on health and wellbeing (e.g., anxiety and stress relief/relaxation, cognitive health and neuroprotection, cardiovascular health, and cancer prevention), and theanine has been implicated in these effects. Tea and coffee are the major dietary sources of caffeine
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 237 Background ............................................................................................................ 238
Theanine Intake ................................................................................................. 238 Theanine Pharmacology ....................................................................................240
