Pay Attention! L-Theanine Can Help.

New research suggests that L-theanine can benefit cognition by helping attention and that it can help depression.

L-theanine is an amino acid found almost exclusively in green tea. It improves calm by increasing alpha brain waves, which leads to relaxation and better focus.

That ability of L-theanine has been shown to help improve sleep. New research shows that it can also help improve concentration.

The meta-analysis of 31 controlled studies, which included 1168 people, compared L-theanine to placebo. It found that a single 200mg dose improves choice reaction time, suggesting that it enhances attention.

A single dose also appeared to significantly reduce depression.

L-theanine was safe.

This study suggests that taking a single dose of L-theanine offers short term benefit for attention and depression.

Mol Psychiatry. 2026 Nov;31(11):6592-6602.

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