Green Tea Beats the Blues

Seniors are less likely to be depressed if they sip four or more cups of green tea daily. In a study involving both men and women, all of whom were over 70, Japanese researchers found that those subjects who drank more than four cups of green tea were 44 percent less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who drank less than four cups daily. The effects of green tea held true even after the researchers factored in gender, social and economic status, diet, history of medical problems and antidepressant use. No such association with depression was found for black or oolong tea or coffee. More studies are needed to confirm that drinking green tea really does have an anti-depressant effect, but the investigators noted that the amino acid theanine found in green tea may play a role in the benefits they saw. The study was published in the December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.