Theanine and Longevity
L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in green tea and is thought to be one of the key contributors to its health benefits. Preclinical research suggests that L-theanine supports healthy aging by activating protective proteins such as FOXO1 and reducing the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which contribute to tissue stiffness over time. It also helps protect brain cells from stress, may support vascular function, and promotes a state of relaxed alertness that supports mental clarity.
This Article Covers:
- What is theanine?
- Can theanine extend lifespan?
- How does theanine consumption improve healthy aging in humans?
- Why is theanine included in NOVOS Core?
Key Takeaways
✔ L-theanine is a naturally occurring compound found in green tea.
✔ Contributes to green tea’s well-known health and longevity benefits.
✔ In preclinical models, L-theanine has been shown to influence cellular stress-response pathways, including proteins involved in healthy aging such as FOXO1.
✔ Preclinical evidence suggests that L-theanine may help limit processes associated with advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation, which is linked to age-related tissue changes.
✔ In cellular and animal models, L-theanine demonstrates protective effects against oxidative and ischemic stress in neural tissue.
✔ Human studies show that L-theanine promotes alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with a relaxed but attentive mental state.
✔ Clinical studies indicate that L-theanine may help reduce perceived stress and support relaxation, particularly under acute stress conditions.
✔ Limited human evidence suggests that L-theanine may support cardiovascular function, especially in the context of stress-related vascular responses.
Can theanine extend lifespan?
Theanine has been promising in studies investigating its impact on extending lifespan.
Evidence from animal and cell models suggests that L-theanine may influence pathways linked to healthy aging and stress resilience. While no human study has shown a direct lifespan extension, L-theanine has repeatedly modulated longevity-related biology in model organisms.
In the nematode C. elegans, low micromolar L-theanine consistently extended mean and maximum lifespan and improved survival under paraquat-induced oxidative stress, shifting the survival curves to the right compared to untreated worms.(R)
In mice exposed to chronic psychosocial stress, oral L-theanine given in the drinking water prevented the stress-induced shortening of lifespan and partially restored cognitive performance and depressive-like behaviour, bringing survival closer to that of non-stressed controls (R).
A complementary rat model links these survival effects to classic hallmarks of aging. In d-galactose induced “accelerated aging” rats, L-theanine reduced hepatic advanced glycation end products (AGEs), lowered oxidative damage, increased antioxidant enzymes, and shifted inflammatory tone towards an anti-inflammatory profile. It also upregulated the aging-protective transcription factor FoxO1 while suppressing NF-κB signalling and improving liver histology. (R)
How Does Theanine Consumption Improve Healthy Aging in Humans?
At a dose similar to one sachet of NOVOS Core, L-theanine was tested in adults who felt some memory or focus decline but scored normally on standard cognitive tests. A single dose made people react faster on attention tasks compared with placebo, showing better focus. In the same session, performance on a challenging memory task also improved, with more correct answers, fewer missed responses, and faster corrections of mistakes. (R). In the context of daily NOVOS Core use, these acute, sachet-equivalent effects provide the mechanistic basis for long-term support of attention and working-memory performance.
At doses matching two sachets of NOVOS Core, short-term L-theanine intake has consistently improved attentional performance and reaction time in healthy or stressed adults (R;R). These doses can make people respond faster to visual tasks, improve brain signals linked to attention (measured by EEG), increase accuracy on attention tasks, and speed up auditory reaction in high-anxiety individuals under mental load (R , R) Across different mental-stress situations, the same short-term dose reduces perceived stress and anxiety and also dampens physical stress responses, including smaller increases in heart rate, stress-related heart-rate patterns (LF/HF ratio), and stress markers in saliva such as s-IgA and cortisol (R).
NOVOS CORE & Theanine Supplementation
L-theanine is one of the 12 ingredients in NOVOS Core. Each sachet contains 150 mg of L-theanine.
