Iris Cole interviews Dr. Oren Tana about depression and its treatment (Walla system)
Depression is considered the most common mental illness in the world, with a significant increase after the Corona period.
Due to the fact that depression is considered a common medical condition, and even one that may be life-threatening, a lot of effort has been made in recent years to find treatment methods to alleviate and prevent depressive conditions with the help of nutrition and the use of medicinal plants and various foods or drinks.
The virtues of the plants and the bioactive plant components have been known for thousands of years for their treatment and healing abilities.
The relationship between green tea and symptoms of depression has also been studied in recent years in humans and animals, and the findings indicate that green tea probably has preventive and therapeutic potential in various cases of depression.
Mental resilience is one of the important indicators for maintaining general health, and is especially important in the context of the ability to function in stressful situations and a changing reality that often creates stressful situations that may overwhelm or create depression and melancholia even if not defined as "clinical depression".
Calms and reduces depression.
Green tea (Photo: ShutterStock)
The scientific interest in the connection between green tea and symptoms of depression began when studies showed that the antioxidants found in green tea from the "Catechins" family were found to increase the level of neuro-adrenaline and dopamine hormones, which play a central role in the fight against depression.
In addition, the theanine and the amino acids found in green tea have been found in previous studies to reduce stress.
This is of great importance since it is now known that stressful situations are a distinct negative factor that may trigger depression.
Due to these findings, some researchers attribute to green tea medical properties of reducing depressive states and even preventing their formation.
In May 2022, a study by the University of Tokyo was published in the scientific magazine Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology.
who examined the relationship between drinking green tea and the risk of depressive symptoms.
The research was conducted among humans in the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
The study included 8 observational studies (the majority were among the Asian population) and examined the relationship between different levels of green tea drinking and symptoms of depression.
The results of the study indicated that high green tea consumption was inversely associated with depressive symptoms.
That is, the higher the daily consumption of green tea, the lower the frequency of reports of symptoms of depression.
The conclusion of the researchers in the study was that regular drinking of 3 cups of green tea a day is the recommended daily amount to reduce the symptoms of depression in the general population.
In June 2022, a controlled clinical intervention study was published in the scientific journal Nutrients.
81 healthy volunteers participated in the study.
One group received green tea (in powder, 1.5 grams) 3 servings per day that were dissolved in hot water for a drink, compared to the control group that did not receive a tea drink, with the instructions to everyone to avoid consuming tea of any kind.
In the group that consumed green tea, a significant decrease in various anxiety indices (STAI) was found after the intervention compared to the score before the intervention.
How It Works?
The basic premise of the researchers was that the main components of green tea involved in these effects are: theanine, the antioxidant EGCG, arginine and caffeine.
In animal laboratory studies in which the effect and possible mechanisms of green tea on depression symptoms were examined, it was found that the consumption of green tea suppresses hypertrophy of the adrenal glands which is manifested in stressful situations as well as the expression of encephalitis typical of stressful situations.
In previous clinical trials conducted in humans, it was found that the consumption of green tea reduced the subjective sensitivity in a state of depression.
Over the years, many studies have accumulated that show that green tea has medical properties that lower the health risk of common diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and more.
In recent years, evidence has been collected that the beneficial effect of green tea is also related to the mental aspect of depression and anxiety.
The latest studies published this year strengthen this approach which opens up a new therapeutic approach through natural drinking and even refines a preventive and not only a therapeutic approach to situations of stress and anxiety that may lead to depression.
Based on the studies, the recommended daily amount of green tea to drink is 3 cups a day.
It is important to note that this amount of 3 cups of green tea a day was also found in other, independent studies, in the fields of health (brain function, diabetes, blood pressure, stroke, etc.) as the recommended daily amount.
Yael Dror is a clinical and physiological dietitian M.Sc
health
Nutrition and diet
Preventive nutrition
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tea
depression
diet
