Is L-Theanine Safe During Pregnancy?

Although L-theanine can be an effective natural agent for promoting relaxation and cognitive function, questions have been raised about its safety–especially during pregnancy. There is limited information about how safe L-theanine is for pregnant women. If you are pregnant, you should consult with a healthcare provider before taking L-theanine.

It’s also important to find relevant and useful information about L-theanine and its side effects to know how to use it and what to expect. For instance, it’s important to understand the relationship between L-theanine and dreams, lethargy, and sleepiness.

In this article, we’ll discuss the safety concerns regarding using L-theanine when pregnant and the possible side effects.

What Is L-Theanine?

L-theanine is an amino acid commonly found in green tea leaves and mushrooms. It’s available in two main forms: D-theanine and L-theanine. However, L-theanine is the most common form.

You can take natural L-theanine in your daily cup of green tea or mushroom intake or as a supplement. Supplements are mainly available in the form of tablets. L-theanine works the same way as glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that helps with memory and mood regulation.

However, L-theanine can block glutamate’s efforts to regulate your body’s response to stress, as L-theanine lowers cortisol. By inhibiting the activities of glutamate, L-theanine reduces cortisol production, which is a stress hormone released by the adrenal gland as a stress response mechanism.

Can Pregnant Women Take L-Theanine?

Although L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that has very few side effects, there’s no scientific evidence to show how safe it is to take during pregnancy. Furthermore, if you prefer taking L-theanine through drinking green tea or eating mushrooms, there’s no way to measure how much of the amino acid you’re ingesting, which increases the potential risks to your pregnancy.

More research needs to be done to establish how this amino acid might affect your pregnancy or baby’s development. Remember that L-theanine inhibits the activity of neurotransmitters in your brain and nervous system–there’s currently no conclusive evidence that indicates how this can impact human fetal development.

In Conclusion

Because there isn’t a lot of data that determines whether or not L-theanine is safe to take when you’re pregnant, most experts would say to avoid taking it altogether or to consult with a licensed medical provider before taking it. Always talk to your healthcare provider before adding a new supplement to your daily regimen–especially when you’re pregnant, and especially if research on the supplement is limited.

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