Does L-Theanine Help with Weight Loss?

Sports Injury Recovery & Pain Management Expert - Jocelyn Glover left a share on the Quora platform that an amino acid found in tea - L-Theanine, although does not directly affect our weight loss, can control appetite. Moreover, combining L-Theanine with caffeine increases the weight loss effect even more.*

This makes those who plan to lose weight or maintain weight wonder whether they should use L-Theanine to improve the ability to achieve their desired weight goal. Is it true or not?

Continue reading the article below to better understand L-Theanine as well as its uses, suitable subjects, ... From there, you can make the most appropriate decision for yourself in the future.

What Is L-Theanine and How Does It Work?

L-Theanine (or L-ʀ-glutamylethylamide) is a non-essential amino acid, commonly found in green tea, black tea, mushrooms, and more.

Most people recognize L-Theanine as the compound responsible for the subtle umami flavor in tea—a taste somewhat similar to MSG and often described in Japanese cuisine. The presence of L-Theanine in tea not only influences its flavor profile but also contributes to its calming effects.

However, L-Theanine has many more benefits than that when studying L-Theanine an Astounding Amino Acid in Tea, Its Synthesis and Health Benefits: A Review confirms its effects on improving brain function, limiting high blood pressure, reducing stress, improving sleep quality, etc [1].

The way L-Theanine affects the body is very simple: it regulates the activity of neurotransmitters, typically increasing the level of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and reducing the release of glutamate. Thanks to that, the user's mood stabilizes, limiting excessive stress [2].

Does L-Theanine Help With Weight Loss?

We mainly know about the effects of L-Theanine on reducing stress and improving concentration. But is the question raised in the introduction - is the weight loss effect of this active ingredient true? Let's discover the answer below:

Avoiding stress-induced appetite

Many people gain weight uncontrollably because of the habit of relieving stress with food. This is understandable because when you are full and eat well, your body secretes the happy hormones dopamine, endorphin and serotonin, making you feel extremely comfortable. After that, you can continue studying/working as usual.

However, increasing the happy hormone in this way is not a good idea, because of course you know that when you finish digesting the food, the stress hormone returns, right?

Therefore, a more ideal solution is to just eat the right amount, at the right time every day instead of eating when you feel stressed.

And when you are stressed, L-Theanine exerts its effect, soothing the nervous system that is tense because you think too much. Thereby helping to suppress the feeling of hunger when under maximum stress. This helps you limit the uncontrolled weight gain due to a lot of stress.

If you're wondering whether L-Theanine’s calming effect might also lead to drowsiness, our detailed article—Does L-Theanine Make You Sleepy?—has the answer.

Although L-Theanine does not directly cause excess fat in the body to disappear like Caffeine or Catechins, it can effectively improve the user's mood.

This is an indirect factor that helps the body relax, no longer craving food due to stress. And to increase the effectiveness of burning excess fat, you can consider combining these active ingredients together.

For example, you combine L-Theanine with Caffeine by drinking coffee in the morning and then drinking a light cup of tea in the afternoon to improve concentration and burn excess fat in the body.

In addition, you can also consider combining all three substances together, both stabilizing the necessary energy level all day long, while strengthening resistance, protecting the body from harmful agents from the environment.

To help you visualize each substance's effects on weight management and control, here is a visual representation of the data, based on research Oral L-theanine administration promotes fat browning and prevents obesity in mice fed high-fat diet associated with the modulation of gut microbiota [7]:

Reduces fat accumulation

The common cause of obesity is a high-calorie, high-fat diet with little exercise. Therefore, finding a solution to limit weight gain is always a constant desire of many people. L-Theanine now exerts its effect when it positively affects the body's nutritional metabolism.

Specifically, Lin and colleagues suggested that this active ingredient stimulates the conversion of received food into total energy, while optimizing the metabolism of glucose, lipids and proteins. In this way, the body does not accumulate fat if it consumes too much fat or high-calorie foods [3].

Although L-Theanine is more well-known for its relaxation benefits, some people still use it for weight loss support. According to statistics from the topic Appetite Suppressant and Fat Loss on Quora, for every 30 people discussing weight loss aids, 1 person mentions L-Theanine, equivalent to 3.33%.*

Supports Overall Weight

As mentioned, L-Theanine has a direct effect on energy metabolism, or more specifically, AMPK activation. In addition, the active ingredient also supports the activity of digestive enzymes in the body, so it can improve digestion and nutrient absorption.

Therefore, the entire body has enough energy to operate stably, so you are less tired, stressed and alert all day long. Not only that, the strong activity of all organs means you do not have excess energy, do not store fat, so the overall body is balanced, and weight control is good [4].

Who is L-Theanine actually suitable for?

With the analysis of the benefits of L-Theanine in weight control, it can be seen that this ingredient is quite suitable for those who are worried about their weight, have the habit of eating to relieve negative emotions and those who have difficulty controlling their weight.

However, the ability to respond and react to each person is different, so to know exactly whether L-Theanine is the best choice for your weight loss, you should contact your doctor for accurate advice.

The following is a summary of the dosage used in most L-Theanine users and their body reactions for you to consider:*

As you can see, most people use 250 - 500 mg of L-Theanine/day [6]. This is a safe level, often recommended by nutritionists for users. However, when you first use it, to test your body's reaction first, you can start with a lower dose than this recommended level.*

In addition, below is a summary of user experiences about L-Theanine related to other uses besides supporting weight loss that they noticed in the exchange "Anyone have good experiences with L-theanine?" on the Reddit platform.*

In general, everyone found that the most obvious use of L-theanine is to help reduce stress, relax the mind, so that they can sleep well and concentrate better. Moreover, out of 8 people who commented, 2 of them also found that this nutrient also helps maintain the desired weight. The specific information is as follows:*

Losing weight is a long process, with a lot of effort. You cannot just focus on using a certain substance and expect to lose weight quickly and safely. The best advice for you is to maintain a scientific diet, limiting fast food, high-calorie foods,... in parallel with daily exercise, with appropriate intensity.

In addition, do not forget to use L-theanine with a reasonable dose, according to the doctor's instructions so that the effect is clearly shown, maintained for a long time instead of quickly gaining weight again.

Conclusion

I hope this article has answered your question: Does L-theanine help with weight loss? The short answer is yes, but not in the way many people assume. L-theanine does not directly promote weight loss; instead, it helps control cravings, reducing the urge to snack outside of main meals.

For effective and sustainable weight management, combine L-theanine with a balanced diet, proper exercise, and a healthy lifestyle.