Recent research suggests that moderate consumption of regular and roasted green tea can enhance cognitive performance.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, found that moderate green tea consumption aids cognitive performance.
Roasted green tea is a traditional Japanese tea made by roasting green tea over charcoal. Known as houjicha, it is characterized by its unique smoky aroma and deep brown color.
The researchers analyzed 20 healthy adult men from Japan with an average age of 23. The participants were instructed to complete six five-minute mental arithmetic tasks in two daily sessions.
In the first session, participants consumed hot water four times, including before the first three tasks and their break. In the second session, water was replaced with green tea. This process was repeated for a month, after which the types of tea were switched so that all participants experienced both kinds of tea.
To determine the impact of consuming hot water, green tea, or roasted green tea on cognitive performance, the researchers measured 11 physiological responses. To supplement the physiological data, they also collected participants’ self-assessment scores for fatigue, stress, mental workload, and workflow.
Tea consumption significantly reduced participants’ tissue blood volume, tissue blood flow, and near-infrared spectroscopy responses compared to drinking hot water.
The researchers added that this suggests that green tea consumption helps alleviate participants’ physiological stress responses. They emphasized that the response and cognitive performance difference between hot water and green tea became more pronounced as the number of task repetitions increased.
Despite acknowledging several limitations of the study, the researchers concluded that the cognitive benefits of moderate green tea consumption have been confirmed and that making this a habit is essential.
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