Quick bits

These warming sips are packed with amino acids that boost well-being and melt away winter worries

Tea’s calming secret:

L-theanine

Quiets mental static

Sipping a warm cup of tea can eliminate stressful “background chatter” in the mind that makes it hard to concentrate, report researchers in the journal Clinical Neuropharmacology. Credit goes to the brew’s L-theanine. This amino acid stimulates the occipital lobe, the region of the brain that governs focus.

Curbs cortisol surges

A daily dose of tea can help stress-proof the body. In a study at the University College London in the U.K., regular tea drinkers who were exposed to tense situations saw their levels of the stress hormone cortisol return to normal 20% faster than non-tea drinkers, thanks to the soothing effects of the brew’s L-theanine.

Revs happy hormones

Enjoying four cups of tea daily can slash incidences of winter blues by 44%, according to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That’s because the sip’s L-theanine prods the brain to produce more of the mood-boosting neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.