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Effects of green tea and roasted green tea on human responses
Kurosaka et al. (2024) sought to explore the impact of tea consumption on feelings of refreshment and stress reduction by examining the interplay among factors like physiological responses and task performance. The study recruited healthy young men (n=20) with 11 physiological responses measured while undergoing a mental arithmetic task twice daily on different days. Before each task, participants consumed a warm beverage (hot water, green tea, or hojicha [roasted green tea]). Subjective factors such as fatigue, stress, mental workload, and flow were assessed after each task. The researchers observed that certain physiological indicators (such as heart rate variability spectral components, R-R interval, Poincaré plot indices [SD1, SD2], plethysmogram amplitude) tended to decrease during tasks compared to rest periods. Moreover, near-infrared spectroscopy responses (NIRS) and tissue blood volume/flow (TBV, TBF) were lower in the tea condition compared to hot water. The authors concluded that the aromatic stimulation from Japanese tea beverages might yield positive effects, including enhanced refreshment, improved mental task performance, and reduced feelings of fatigue, even with small quantities and short durations, resembling effects seen with daily consumption. [NPID: Tea consumption, physiological responses, mental task performance, stress reduction, aromatic stimulation]
Year: 2024
