Cortisol to Testosterone Ratio

Testosterone – Cortisol’s Alter Ego
originally written for Advance for Healthy Aging Journal by Shawn M. Talbott, PhD
What is Testosterone?
In both men and women, testosterone is needed to build muscle and other proteins, such as immune system components, and control many aspects of physiology, including blood cell production and metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and fat from food. A drop in testosterone in men leads to fatigue, a loss of sex drive, and weight gain in the belly – the old potbelly that nobody wants. This same drop in testosterone causes the same fatigue and loss of sex drive in women, but it also induces women’s bodies to lose their “hourglass” shape of youth and grow into an apple (or “shot glass”) shape with the same kind of “male” pattern of abdominal weight gain.
Because of the media reports of athletes abusing anabolic steroids (synthetic versions of testosterone), testosterone has suffered a negative public image that is not deserved. Many people view testosterone as the hormone that causes bulging muscles and aggressiveness, but it is important to understand that these effects of testosterone are caused by a gross overuse of synthetic testosterone used at extreme mega-dose levels. When bodybuilders inject testosterone and other anabolic steroids to promote freakish muscle growth, they are artificially increasing their testosterone levels to 10, 20, or 100-times normal values. The result of this unnatural testosterone exposure is the clearly unnatural changes in body shape, mood, and metabolism characteristic of professional bodybuilders.
Some of the most common effects of low testosterone (in both men and women) include:

• •Emotional changes (increased anxiety and depression)

• •Low sex drive
• •Decreased muscle mass
• •Reduced metabolic rate
• •Increased abdominal fat
• •Weak bones
• •Back pain
• •Elevated cholesterol

Testosterone – not just for men
Testosterone – just for men? Hardly! Often referred to as the “hormone of desire,” testosterone is involved in maintaining muscles mass, mood, and energy levels in BOTH men and women. We have known since the mid-1980s, that testosterone is not just a “male” hormone, because it was in 1985 that researchers published the first major study showing that testosterone was vitally important in boosting and maintaining a woman’s libido, sexual arousal and desire. After the age of 30 (just like in men) testosterone levels start to drop in women. What follows is the very predictable drop in sex drive, loss of muscle mass, reduction in metabolic rate, and decrease in energy levels and mood. What goes up? You guessed it – body weight – and we see the same thing happening in both men and women.
Although women have only about one-tenth the testosterone of men, her levels drop by about half by the age of 45 (compared to the amount she produced at age 20). In a scientific review by the North American Menopause Society, 9 out of 10 studies on testosterone in women showed that restoring testosterone levels back to normal to be effective in improving sexual desire, energy levels, and overall emotional outlook.
Testosterone production in women comes from the ovaries and in men it comes from the testes – but in both genders, a substantial amount of testosterone also comes from the adrenal glands – the same gland responsible for cortisol production. During periods of high cortisol production (stress, dieting, and sleep loss), natural production of testosterone falls. Considering that women produce only about one-tenth the amount of testosterone found in men, any stressed-induced drop in testosterone would be expected to affect women as much or more than most men. The effects of stress in older women is even worse because female testosterone levels peak in the mid-twenties just as in young men – and fall every year thereafter – so you are less able to “bounce back” from a stressful event at age 40 compared to age 20.
For women who want to stay lean, strong, healthy, fit, and sexually active, maintaining a youthful testosterone level is just as important as it is for men. In fact, studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have shown that testosterone maintenance in women (aged 31-56 years) yields the very same benefits in sexual function, mood, energy, and overall sense of well being as found in studies of men.

Maintaining Balance – the Cortisol-to-Testosterone Ratio
The balance between cortisol and testosterone is probably even more important than the absolute level of either hormone. From the perspective of achieving peak physical and mental performance, we want to have a relatively low cortisol levels and a relatively high testosterone level – a hormonal profile that we would refer to as “anabolic” to suggest fat loss and muscle gain. This anabolic hormonal profile is what athletes strive for, but it is also your target for optimal weight loss and for long-term health.
Iranian medical researchers have shown that the stress of exams (psychological stress) increases cortisol and reduces testosterone levels in both male and female students – and British researchers from the University of Bristol, have found that elevated cortisol and reduced testosterone (which we refer to as an elevated C:T ratio) increases the risk of heart disease. The study, which followed men aged 45-59 years for more than 16 years, and was published in the scientific journal of the American Heart Association, also found that the C:T ratio was strongly related to insulin resistance (pre-diabetes). Researchers from Denmark have confirmed the heart-damaging effects of stress by showing that increased cortisol and reduced testosterone are independently related to an increase in blood vessel thickening (a significant risk factor for heart disease) in both men and women. Italian researchers have shown that low testosterone is associated not only with weight gain, but also with increased levels of “bad” cholesterol, lower levels of “good” cholesterol, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), and an overall higher risk of heart disease.
The C:T ratio is studied quite often in athletes, not only because of the performance aspects of cortisol and testosterone, but also because they represent an ideal “high stress” situation to help answer important questions about how humans adapt to chronic stress. For example, physiology researchers from the University of North Carolina have shown a clear negative relationship between cortisol levels and testosterone levels in athletes – meaning that as stress gets higher, cortisol goes up and testosterone drops. Researchers from the University of Connecticut have shown that over-trained athletes have elevated levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG – which binds testosterone and makes it unavailable to the body) and reduced testosterone levels – both of which could be prevented by dietary supplementation.

Testosterone and Aging – Menopause & Andropause
Athlete studies aside, by the time most of us reach our forties (men and women), our testosterone levels are about 20% lower compared to the levels we had as robust twenty-year-olds (no wonder we’re fatter and more exhausted). In most people, testosterone levels start to fall by about 10% per decade (1% per year) after age 20 or 30. At the same time, our bodies start to produce more of a binding protein called sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) – which traps most of the testosterone that is still remaining in circulation. This is bad because SHBG binds and “traps” testosterone in a way that makes it unavailable to the rest of the body – effectively reducing your “bioavailable” levels of testosterone even further.
Around age 50, women are likely to hit menopause, and experience dramatic drops in both estrogen and testosterone. While men obviously don’t experience menopause, they do have a much larger drop in testosterone levels – a change that is referred to as andropause. During this time of life, when hormone production is falling in both men and women, as many as 30% of people in their 50s will have testosterone levels low enough to cause noticeable symptoms. Some of the clearest signs of a testosterone imbalance are changes in attitude and mood, as well as a loss of energy and sex drive.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have documented the fall in testosterone levels to be in the range of 35-50% by age 60 in healthy men, while aging researchers from Saint Louis University have shown that testosterone levels fall 47% in men from age 20 to 89.
It is well described in the scientific and medical literature that men who have low level of testosterone are more likely to be depressed than men with normal testosterone levels. When testosterone levels are brought back to normal levels, mood also returns back to normal levels.
Dozens of studies show that maintaining testosterone levels at more “youthful” levels (that is, keeping them from dropping with age) is associated with numerous health benefits in BOTH men and women. For example, men and women with low testosterone develop abdominal obesity (belly fat), a loss in sex drive (interest and ability), and become depressed (or at least moody). Preventive medicine specialists from the University of California at San Diego have shown that high levels of stress lead to lower testosterone levels (reduced by 17%) and increase rates of depression in men over 50 years of age. Bringing testosterone levels back to normal levels reduces depression. If you look at testosterone on an overall scale – it is not a “more is better” story, but rather one of “maintaining is good” and “falling levels are bad” – it’s one of overall balance.

Testosterone and Weight Gain
Perhaps the most noticeable side effect of a falling testosterone level for many people will be their expanding waistline. Just as increasing cortisol levels can lead to excess belly fat – so can falling testosterone – and when you have both occurring simultaneously (cortisol rising and testosterone falling) it is virtually inevitable that weight gain will follow.
One study, published more than 10 years ago in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (1996) showed that obese women who boosted their testosterone levels lost significantly more abdominal fat and gained more muscle mass compared to women given a placebo and whose testosterone levels remained suppressed. This was ten long years ago – and still most doctors and health professionals view testosterone strictly as a “male” hormone – when the reality is that while women certainly don’t want “male levels” of testosterone, they certainly want to maintain what they have.
The scientific literature in support of maintaining normal youthful testosterone levels (versus allowing them to fall in the face of stress and aging) is at least as strong as the research in support of maintaining normal youthful cortisol levels (which rise in response to stress and aging).
Researchers from Penn State University have shown that weight loss induced by diet alone leads to a significant drop in testosterone and fat-free mass (muscle) – an effect that can reduce metabolic rate and make weight regain easier. Scientists from Northwestern University in Chicago have shown that weight gain in young men (ages 24-31) was significantly related to low testosterone levels – with a graded relationship between the lowest testosterone levels and the greatest degree of weight gain. In a related series of studies, researchers at Cornell Medical College in New York found that the age-related decrease in testosterone is significantly exacerbated in overweight men with the Metabolic Syndrome. As testosterone drops, body weight goes up – and the drop in testosterone and the rise in weight are more pronounced in men who have Metabolic Syndrome, compared to men without (but who also gain weight as testosterone drops, but to a less severe degree). In a very important study from aging researchers at the University of Florida, the incidence of low testosterone in a general population of men (over age 45) as estimated to be 38.7% - and those with low testosterone were about twice more likely to also be overweight and have hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
These studies represent only a small fraction of the research on the relationship between testosterone, stress, cortisol, and weight gain, but it should be clear to you by now that the failure to maintain a normal C:T balance is an important reason why weight gain (and regain) is so easy for so many people. As we lose weight, cortisol levels rise, testosterone levels drop, muscle mass and metabolic rate fall, fat cells lose the “fat breakdown” signal (testosterone) and receive the “fat storage” signal (cortisol) – and weight appears (or easily comes back).

Maintaining Testosterone Levels Naturally
Like other hormones, including cortisol, we know quite clearly that maintaining normal levels, not too high and not too low, is the approach associated with the most dramatic long-term health benefits. It is important to keep in mind that one of the most central concepts in the study of endocrinology is that hormones tend to work in concert with one another to control metabolism. This means that changing two hormones – each by a little bit – is likely to have a better overall effect on a given outcome (such as weight loss) than changing a single hormone by a large amount.
In terms of exercise, we know that virtually all forms of exercise help to elevate testosterone levels in both men and women – and endurance exercise works almost as well as lifting weights for maintaining testosterone in most moderate exercisers. Researchers at the University of Texas have shown that not only does inactivity lead to a rapid loss of muscle mass, but when accompanied by high levels of stress and cortisol, muscle loss is accelerated. The good news about exercise is that while it is boosting testosterone, it is also reducing cortisol (the “de-stressing” effect of a workout) – but the best news of all is that your patients will be pleasantly surprised by how little exercise is needed to have these positive hormonal effects.
Avoiding dehydration is another way to keep hormones balanced. Researchers from the University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory have shown that cortisol levels are increased by dehydration – and C:T ratio was significantly higher (elevated C and reduced T) – a biochemical state that interferes with the balance between anabolism and catabolism (shifting the body toward fat gain and muscle loss).
Finally, stress researchers from around the world have shown that how we perceive and cope with a given stressor can determine our hormonal response to that stressor. More important than winning or losing, is the coping pattern that you display – thus determining the hormonal changes. Psychologists at the University of Miami use CBSM – cognitive behavioral stress management – to reduce perceived stress in stressful or competitive situations. Participating in CBSM activities cause cortisol levels to drop and anabolic hormones (like testosterone and DHEA) to rise – effects which typically translate into an improvement in both mood and in immune function.

Summary
It is probably quite apparent by this point that it is the balance between anabolic and catabolic hormones that represents the “metabolic sweet spot” that your patients should be shooting for. In a perfect world, we would easily maintain our relatively high cortisol and low testosterone levels of youth. Alas, the very process of living and aging (gracefully or not) leads us inexorably toward elevated cortisol and suppressed testosterone (among many other changes) – all of which combine to make us rounder and softer and tired and less happy – unless we take proactive steps to maintain those levels.

References
Bell RJ, Donath S, Davison SL, Davis SR. Endogenous androgen levels and well-being: differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2006 Jan-Feb;13(1):65-71.
Chen RY, Wittert GA, Andrews GR. Relative androgen deficiency in relation to obesity and metabolic status in older men. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2006 Jul;8(4):429-35.
Cikim AS, Ozbey N, Sencer E, Molvalilar S, Orhan Y. Associations among sex hormone binding globulin concentrations and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome in obese women. Diabetes Nutr Metab. 2004 Oct;17(5):290-5.
Cohen PG. Diabetes mellitus is associated with subnormal levels of free testosterone in men. BJU Int. 2006 Mar;97(3):652-3.
Derby CA, Zilber S, Brambilla D, Morales KH, McKinlay JB. Body mass index, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio and change in sex steroid hormones: the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Jul;65(1):125-31.
Elin RJ, Winters SJ. Current controversies in testosterone testing: aging and obesity. Clin Lab Med. 2004 Mar;24(1):119-39.
Gapstur SM, Kopp P, Gann PH, Chiu BC, Colangelo LA, Liu K. Changes in BMI modulate age-associated changes in sex hormone binding globulin and total testosterone, but not bioavailable testosterone in young adult men: the CARDIA Male Hormone Study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Sep 12.
Kaplan SA, Meehan AG, Shah A. The age related decrease in testosterone is significantly exacerbated in obese men with the metabolic syndrome. What are the implications for the relatively high incidence of erectile dysfunction observed in these men? J Urol. 2006 Oct;176(4 Pt 1):1524-7.
Lunenfeld B. Endocrinology of the aging male. Minerva Ginecol. 2006 Apr;58(2):153-70.
Mayes JS, Watson GH. Direct effects of sex steroid hormones on adipose tissues and obesity. Obes Rev. 2004 Nov;5(4):197-216.
McTiernan A, Tworoger SS, Rajan KB, Yasui Y, Sorenson B, Ulrich CM, Chubak J, Stanczyk FZ, Bowen D, Irwin ML, Rudolph RE, Potter JD, Schwartz RS. Effect of exercise on serum androgens in postmenopausal women: a 12-month randomized clinical trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Jul;13(7):1099-105.
McTiernan A, Wu L, Chen C, Chlebowski R, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Modugno F, Perri MG, Stanczyk FZ, Van Horn L, Wang CY; Women's Health Initiative Investigators. Relation of BMI and physical activity to sex hormones in postmenopausal women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Sep;14(9):1662-77.
Mohr BA, Bhasin S, Link CL, O'Donnell AB, McKinlay JB. The effect of changes in adiposity on testosterone levels in older men: longitudinal results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Eur J Endocrinol. 2006 Sep;155(3):443-52.
Osuna JA, Gomez-Perez R, Arata-Bellabarba G, Villaroel V. Relationship between BMI, total testosterone, sex hormone-binding-globulin, leptin, insulin and insulin resistance in obese men. Arch Androl. 2006 Sep-Oct;52(5):355-61.
Pasquali R. Obesity and androgens: facts and perspectives. Fertil Steril. 2006 May;85(5):1319-40.
Travison TG, Araujo AB, O'donnell AB, Kupelian V, McKinlay JB. A population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in American men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Oct 24.
Vicennati V, Ceroni L, Genghini S, Patton L, Pagotto U, Pasquali R. Sex difference in the relationship between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sex hormones in obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Feb;14(2):235-43.

Testosterone and Weight Gain

This is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Vigor – Seven Days to Improved Physical Energy, Mental Focus, and Emotional Well-Being” by Shawn M. Talbott, PhD
For many people, perhaps the most noticeable side effect of a falling testosterone level will be an expanding waistline. Just as increasing cortisol levels can lead to excess belly fat, so can declining testosterone levels—and when you have both occurring simultaneously (cortisol rising and testosterone falling) it is virtually inevitable that weight gain will follow.
One study, published in 1996 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, showed that obese women who boosted their testosterone levels lost significantly more abdominal fat and gained more muscle mass compared to women who were given a placebo and whose testosterone levels remained suppressed. This was more than a decade ago—and still most doctors and health professionals view testosterone strictly as a “male” hormone, when the reality is that while women certainly don’t want “male levels” of testosterone, they definitely want to maintain what they have.
The scientific literature in support of maintaining normal youthful testosterone levels (versus allowing them to fall in the face of stress and aging) is at least as strong as the research in support of maintaining normal youthful cortisol levels (which rise in response to stress and aging). Here is a sampling of some of the available studies:

• •Austrian medical researchers have shown that weight loss from dieting results in a significant reduction in testosterone levels in overweight women. But this effect is largely due to a high level of dieting stress caused by excessive calorie restriction (which elevates cortisol) and unbalanced with exercise (which could maintain testosterone levels). Researchers from Penn State University have shown that weight loss induced by diet alone leads to a significant drop in testosterone and fat-free mass (muscle)—an effect that can reduce metabolic rate and make weight regain easier.

• •Scientists from Northwestern University, in Chicago, have shown that weight gain in young men (ages twenty-four to thirty-one) was significantly related to low testosterone levels, with a graded relationship between the lowest testosterone levels and the greatest degree of weight gain. In a related series of studies, researchers at Cornell Medical College, in New York, found that the age-related decrease in testosterone is significantly exacerbated in overweight men with the metabolic syndrome. As testosterone drops, body weight goes up—and the drop in testosterone and the rise in weight are more pronounced in men who have metabolic syndrome than it is in men without. (Men who don’t have the condition also gain weight as testosterone drops, but to a less severe degree.)
• •As part of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (which followed over seventeen hundred men, ages forty to seventy), researchers at the New England Research Institutes found that overweight men had significantly lower testosterone levels and a greater rate of decline compared to normal-weight men of any age. Endocrine researchers from Venezuela have found that testosterone levels are lower in overweight men ages twenty to sixty, and that there is a graded and proportional relationship between low testosterone and weight gain (the fattest men had the lowest testosterone).
• •Norwegian medical researchers have shown that the lowest levels of testosterone are found in men with the most pronounced central (abdominal) obesity. In addition, those with lower testosterone also had higher blood pressure and increased rates of diabetes. These findings suggest that testosterone may have a protective effect against weight gain and development of diabetes and hypertension.
• •In a very important study from researchers in aging at the University of Florida, the incidence of low testosterone in a general population of men over age forty-five was estimated to be 38.7 percent. Those with low testosterone were about twice as likely to also be overweight and have hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
• •In a study from researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, overweight men were shown to have reduced testosterone levels, with the lowest levels seen in men who continued to gain weight over time (eight years follow-up). Interestingly, the level of testosterone was found to predict subsequent weight gain: Lower testosterone related specifically to increased weight gain in the abdominal area.
• •Australian scientists at the University of Adelaide have shown that testosterone levels decline with aging even in healthy men—and also lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome.
• •Italian hormone researchers have shown a negative relationship between C:T ratio and obesity in men and women. As stress-related cortisol levels rise, testosterone levels drop in both sexes, leading to weight gain, especially within the abdominal area.
• •Public-health researchers from Hong Kong have shown that age-related declines in testosterone are associated with increased levels of abdominal fat and higher rates of the metabolic syndrome. In a series of studies, low testosterone levels explained 35 percent of the variance in metabolic syndrome rates (more metabolic syndrome equated with lower testosterone).
• •Brazilian medical researchers have found low testosterone levels to be strongly associated with weight gain and specifically with higher abdominal fat (waist-to-hip ratio). Norwegian researchers have shown that the lowest testosterone levels are found in subjects with high waist circumference, even when their total level of body fat is rather normal, suggesting that waist circumference (abdominal fat) is the preferred anthropometric measurement to predict testosterone levels (bigger waist = lower testosterone).
• •Health researchers from Oklahoma State University have demonstrated a direct effect of testosterone on adipose tissues (fat cells) and obesity, showing that testosterone leads to an increase in lipolysis (fat breakdown). Normal testosterone levels lead to a normal distribution of body fat, but as testosterone levels decrease in response to stress and aging, there is a tendency to increase central obesity (gain abdominal fat). In fact, bringing testosterone levels back to within normal ranges in older men and women has been shown to reduce the degree of central obesity.
• •Researchers at the University of Washington, in Seattle, have shown that among women who lose weight using dietary restriction alone, each 2 percent loss of body weight is associated with a fall in testosterone levels of 10 to 12 percent.

These studies represent only a fraction of the research on the relationship between testosterone, stress, cortisol, and weight gain, but it should be clear to you by now that the failure to maintain a normal C:T balance is an important reason why weight gain (and regain) is so easy for so many people. As we attempt to lose weight, our bodies try to “fight back” by slowing metabolism and conserving body fat through a rise in cortisol levels, a drop in testosterone levels, and a decline in muscle mass and metabolic rate. As a result of these metabolic changes, fat cells lose the “fat-breakdown” signal (testosterone) and receive the “fat-storage” signal (cortisol)—and weight appears (or easily comes back).

Exploding Antidepressant Use in America

I received the following query from a reporter at a major American newspaper. He was writing a story on the EXPLOSION in the use of antidepressant drugs in America – and posed these questions:

Antidepressants are a huge business – can you comment on the mushrooming use of antidepressants? According to several recent studies, use of antidepressants has doubled in the past decade, and is now the single largest class of drugs. That raises several questions. Are antidepressants effective in the widespread population? Is the population now healthier and better treated than a decade ago? Are antidepressants the best therapy for depression?

Here is what I wrote back to him:

Hi XYZ,

For your article on the epidemic of antidepressant over-prescribing in America, I would encourage you to alert your readers to some important facts.

Antidepressant therapy is certainly justified in many millions of Americans with severe depression (suicidal thoughts, etc) - but NOT in the millions MORE who fall into a category that is generally referred to as “Tired/Stressed/Depressed.”

Antidepressant drugs do not help these people because they are the wrong tool for the job (and a dangerous tool that carries FDA’s highest “black box” warning label to want of the severe adverse side effects including increased risk of suicide. There are very good studies showing that antidepressant drugs do NOT work well (or at all) in cases of mild to moderate depression - and they were approved by the FDA only for treatment of severe clinical depression.

Physicians are in a tough spot because up to 80% of all primary care visits are by patients who “feel terrible” (because of being tired/stressed/depressed) - and those patients want to leave the office with a “solution” - so a prescription for one of the many antidepressant drugs is what they get (Prozac, Zoloft, Welbutrin, Celexa, Paxil, the list goes on and on and on).

Best estimates right now are that more than HALF of all people taking antidepressant drugs should not be taking them at all because they will get better (and faster) results with non-drug therapy including improved diet, regular exercise, some dietary supplementation, and (of course) stress management.

I am a nutritional biochemist who has conducted research in this area and written several books on the topic (that chronic stress leads to millions of cases of “depression” which is not addressed by antidepressant drugs).

Our data have been presented at some of the leading scientific conferences in the country - including the recent scientific conferences of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Society for Nutritional Sciences (both in 2007) where we presented data showing that an easy-to-follow program of stress management, exercise, nutrition, and supplements was able to cut measures of depression by 52%, alleviate fatigue by 48%, and improve vigor (a measure of mental/physical energy) by 27% in subjects who were moderately stressed and who complained of feeling “tired/stressed/depressed” on a regular basis.

I’d be happy to fill in any details for you if you feel that this might be an angle you’d like to include in your article…

In addition to the scientific link between chronic stress and depression – via the disruption of metabolic balance (between cortisol – testosterone – HSD – serotonin – norepinephrine – and others), there are a couple of good recent studies that you might want to take a look at.

One is from the Archives of General Psychiatry (Aug 2009) – see the highlighted scientific abstract and a highlighted summary article at www.shawntalbott.com – showing that antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the United States – and more than 10% of the American population is taking one or more antidepressant drugs (27 million individuals).

The other research study is from the Aug 2009 issue of the Psychiatric Services journal (see highlighted scientific abstract and highlighted summary article an www.shawntalbott.com) – showing that huge numbers of Americans felt an antidepressant drug would be helpful for:

•        83% to help people to deal with day-to-day stresses
•        76% to make things easier in relation with family and friends
•        68% to help people feel better about themselves

Clearly, people are taking a LOT of antidepressant drugs - and they feel that they can be helpful - but given the fact that antidepressant drugs carry the FDA’s most stringent “Black Box” Warning (see definition at Wikipedia = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_warning), perhaps there is a better solution for the millions of Americans who are risking their long-term health. The black box warning is FDA’s Strongest Warning – that appears on the package insert for prescription drugs that may cause serious adverse effects – and indicating that the drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects.

I’m not sure that a Black Box drug is the best choice for almost 30 million Americans who can get even better results in terms of mood and energy levels with natural options (faster, safer, more holistic).

Thanks for reading – until next time…

Shawn
==================================
Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D.
Nutritional Biochemist and Author
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Theanine

What is it?

Theanine is a unique amino acid found in the leaves of green tea (Camellia sinensis). Theanine is quite different from the polyphenol/ and catechin antioxidants for which green tea is typically consumed. In fact, through the natural production of polyphenols, the tea plant converts theanine into catechins. This means that tea leaves harvested during one part of the growing season may be high in catechins (good for antioxidant benefits), while leaves harvested during another time of year may be higher in theanine (good for anti-stress and cortisol-controlling effects). Three to four cups of green tea are expected to contain 100–200 mg of theanine.

Claims

Because of theanine’s effects on the brain, common claims include:

•Improved mental focus

•Sounder, more restful sleep

•Better control of stress

Other claims for theanine may include:

•Benefits in cancer therapy

•Reduces blood pressure

Theory

The unique aspect of theanine is that it acts as a non-sedating relaxant to help increase the brain’s production of alpha-waves (those associated with “relaxed alertness”). This makes theanine extremely effective for combating tension, stress, and anxiety—without inducing drowsiness. By increasing the brain’s output of alpha waves, theanine is thought to control anxiety, increase mental focus, improve concentration, and promote creativity.

Science

Research studies are quite clear on the facts that people who produce more alpha brain waves also have less anxiety; that highly creative people generate more alpha waves when faced with a problem to solve; and that elite athletes tend to produce a burst of alpha waves on the left side of their brain during their best performances.

In addition to being considered a “relaxing” substance (in adults), theanine has also been shown to have benefits for improving learning performance (in mice), and promoting concentration (in students). One of the most unique aspects of theanine activity is its ability to increase the brain’s output of alpha waves. Alpha waves are one the four basic brain brain-wave patterns (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) that can be monitored using an electroencephalogram (EEG). Each wave pattern is associated with a particular oscillating electrical voltage in the brain, and the different brain brain-wave patterns are associated with different mental states and states of consciousness (Theta = Drowsiness; Alpha = Relaxed/Alertness; Beta = Stress/Anxiety).

A handful of studies (in rats) have shown theanine to be an effective anti-hypertension agent. In these studies, it is interesting to note that theanine was able to bring elevated blood pressure back toward normal levels, but it had no effect in reducing normal blood pressure levels.

There are also more than a dozen reports in the scientific literature which show a clear benefit of theanine in fighting various forms of experimental cancer. In many of these studies, theanine has been shown to enhance the anti-tumor activity of some cancer drugs such as pirarubicin, doxorubicin and adriamycin. It appears that theanine slows the ability of the tumor cells to eject the cancer drugs – so combination therapy with the chemotherapy agent plus theanine seems to maintain high levels of the drug in the tumor cells and both slow their growth and accelerate their death.

Safety

No adverse side effects are associated with theanine consumption (3–4 cups of green tea are expected to contain 100–200 mg of theanine) – making it one of the leading natural choices for promoting relaxation without the sedating effects of depressant drugs and herbs. When considering the potential benefits of theanine as an anti-stress or anti-cortisol supplement, it is important to distinguish its non-sedating relaxation benefits from the tranquilizing effects of other “relaxing” supplements such as valerian and kava, which are actually mild central central-nervous nervous-system depressants.

Dosage

Clinical studies show that theanine is effective in dosages ranging from 50 to 200 mg per day (about what you would find in 2-4 cups of green tea). Because theanine reaches its maximum levels in the blood between 30 thirty minutes and 2 two hours after taking it, it can be used as both as a daily anti-stress and mental-focus regimen and “as needed” as a supplement during stressful times.

References

1.Kakuda T, Nozawa A, Unno T, Okamura N, Okai O. Inhibiting effects of theanine on caffeine stimulation evaluated by EEG in the rat. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2000 Feb;64(2):287-93.

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3.Sadzuka Y, Sugiyama T, Hirota S. Modulation of cancer chemotherapy by green tea. Clin Cancer Res. 1998 Jan;4(1):153-6.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This monograph can be found in The Health Professional's Guide to Dietary Supplements (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins) by Shawn M. Talbott, PhD and Kerry Hughes, MS.