Tea (Camellia Sinensis) and Anxiety in Women
Guest Blogger, Meg the Nutritionist chats about tea and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are debilitating conditions affecting nearly 13% of Australians.
Particularly in today’s current climate with COVID, restrictions and corresponding
lockdowns, anxiety and stress has been steadily increasing. Unfortunately for us
women, we tend to experience higher rates of anxiety than men. A recent study
during the first month of COVID restrictions in 2020 (it seems like a lifetime ago!)
found that Australian women had higher rates of anxiety, irritability and stress than
men, largely due to their increased role as unpaid caregivers and isolation from
support networks (2). There has also been an increase in postpartum anxiety and
depression for new mothers during the COVID pandemic (3), again linked to lack of
support, available services and even inability to exercise (great for improving mental
health) due to lockdowns.
There are numerous things that can help reduce stress and anxiety, from exercise,
medication and essential oils to dietary changes, counselling and sunshine! There
are also specific compounds found in food and herbs that can actively help to reduce
anxiety symptoms and support a healthy stress response.
One such “super food” is Camellia sinensis, or tea. Camellia sinensis includes
multiple varieties of teas such as black tea, green tea and white tea. It contains
numerous health promoting compounds from polyphenols, antioxidants,
theobromine and the true super hero’s- L-theanine & Epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG).
L-theanine is an amino acid which is highly abundant in both green and black tea. It
helps to support the nervous system, by calming down overactive & excited
neurotransmitters in the brain ultimately reducing levels of anxiety and stress.
L-theanine can also boost serotonin levels, your happy hormone- which explains
why everybody always feels better after a cup of freshly brewed tea! What’s even
better, is that when l-theanine is combined with caffeine, like the small amounts
present in the Camellia sinensis leaves, it also helps promote concentration,
memory and improves productivity. I mean, what mum doesn’t need that winning
combo!
EGCG is another compound found in tea which has anxiolytic properties, reducing
levels of anxiety. EGCG may also help balance the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal
(HPA) axis, which has a key role in regulating your body’s response to stress and
anxiety. EGCG also boosts the anti-anxiety activity of l-theanine, making these two
compounds a match made in heaven.
Regular consumption of tea, either black or green, will provide you with therapeutic
levels the anxiety reducing and stress busting l-theanine and EGCG. Now that we
are coming into summer, East Forged range of nitro infused teas are the perfect way
to make sure you are supporting your stress and anxiety levels! These teas a
fantastic option for the busy mum with no time to brew up a pot of tea- just take a
can out of the fridge, open & enjoy. You will literally watch the stress of the
motherhood melt away!
Guest Blogger: Meg the Nutritionist
Meg is a Clinical Nutritionist specialising in women's health & passionate foodie aiming to help mums make better food choices.
1. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mental Health [Internet]. Canberra (ACT): ABS;
2018. Available from ![]()
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/mental-health/latest-release
2. Hammarberg K, Tran T, Kirkman M & Fisher J. Sex and age differences in
clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety among people in Australia
in the first month of COVID-19 restrictions: a national survey. BMJ Open [Internet].
2020;10. Available from ![]()
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e042696
3. Davenport MH, Meyer S, Meah VL, Strynada MC & Khurana R. Moms are not ok:
COVID-19 and maternal mental health. Front Glob Womens Health [Internet]. 2020
Jun;1. Available from ![]()
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2020.00001/full
