Unpacking Prozen’s® Active Ingredient: Suntheanine®
Living in today’s hyper-connected, fast-paced world can be overwhelming to say the least. According to the World Health Organization, 301 million people had an anxiety disorder in 2019, making them the most common of all mental disorders. The prescription of antidepressants has also sky-rocketed, with many people believing they’re a quicker, more affordable option than interventions like therapy and lifestyle changes.
While natural anxiety remedies do exist, many are under-researched and found to be ineffective when put under scrutiny. This is certaintly not the case with Prozen’s® active ingredient, Suntheanine®, a pure patented form of L-Theanine. Unlike most natural anxiety remedies, Suntheanine® has been researched extensively and is shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety in multiple clinical studies.
To truly understand Suntheanine’s® effectiveness though, we need to unpack how it’s made and how it differs to L-Theanine.
What Is Suntheanine®?
Suntheanine® and L-Theanine are closely related, but there are key differences in terms of source, purity and manufacturing. The term “Suntheanine®” refers specifically to a trademarked fermentation process used to mimic how L-Theanine is naturally produced in tea leaves. The process was founded by Taiyo, a pioneering company in the research and manufacture of functional ingredients.
The key benefits of Suntheanine® include:
- Promotes relaxation without causing drowsiness
- Improves mental clarity and focus
- Supports better sleep
- Eases symptoms of anxiety
- May support cognitive health by protecting brain cells from oxidative stress
The Difference Between Suntheanine® and L-theanine
L-Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in green tea leaves. It’s known for its calming effects and is often used to manage stress and promote a sense of relaxation. The key difference between L-Theanine and Suntheanine® is that Suntheanine® is manufactured using an enzymatic fermentation process and L-Theanine is not. As a result, L-Theanine often contains D-Theanine isomers while Suntheanine® is 100% pure L-Theanine - free of D-Theanine isomers.
The best way to explain why this matters is by using an analogy. Think of L- and D-Theanine isomers as left and right gloves. When you buy a pair of gloves - you expect one left and one right to fit your hands. Imagine you get two right gloves instead, same material and size, but one just doesn’t fit properly. That’s what happens with D- and L-isomers of theanine.
- Your body recognizes and can utilize L-Theanine (it ‘fits like a glove’).
- While D-Theanine is a mirror-image of L-Theanine, it doesn’t ‘fit’ your brain’s receptors the same way and may not deliver the same effects as a result.
This means when you buy generic L-Theanine supplements containing a mixture of both L- and D-Theanine isomers, there’s a 50/50 chance of the glove ‘fitting’ or not. On the other hand, supplements with Suntheanine® are like buying a pair of tailormade gloves as they contain 100% L-Theanine isomers.
Which One to Choose
It’s important to remember that L-Theanine is either extracted from tea leaves or synthetically made in a lab, while Suntheanine® is always made using Taiyo’s patented fermentation process. Like Suntheanine®, L-Theanine has been extensively studied for its benefits including relaxation, focus and stress relief. D-Theanine, which is often a by-product of the chemical synthesis process used to make generic L-Theanine, is less well understood and may behave differently in the body. For this reason, many generic L-Theanine supplements are seen to be less effective than those containing Suntheanine®.
The bottom line? If you’re looking for a pure, clinically studied stress and anxiety relief solution, Suntheanine® is a safe and reliable choice.