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Does theacrine provide any other benefits outside of increased energy?

clays32 7 years ago updated by andy 7 years ago 2

Answer

Answer

TeaCrine’s unique attributes for Fast-Acting Cognitive & Exercise Performance/ Mood/ Clean, Sustained Energy to Perform/ Diet and Fat Loss aids:

  • Dopamine: While TeaCrine does inhibit adenosine A1 and A2a receptors, it is a much stronger dopamine (D1 and D2) agonist. Caffeine does not activate dopamine receptors directly, so TeaCrine is taking on the role of the most novel “feel-good,” or "experiential", no jitter, no crash adjunct to caffeine...the likes of which we haven't seen in decades. No longer do we have to rely on Mucuna pruriens extract for L-dopa, L-tyrosine, L-theanine and/or glucuronolactone to smooth out the less desirable effects of caffeine. The last attachment (Feduccia, A., et al.) explains its dopamine agonism.
  • Non-Habituation: It is clinically proven to be non-habituating. Please see the attached study. The importance of this cannot be overstated. To have the same effect every time, even after 30 or 60 days of daily use, is unheard of.
    • Anecdotally, we’re finding TeaCrine doses ~100mg in combination with caffeine are preventing users from habituating to caffeine. This means that caffeine “loyalists” can potentially feel the same effect from caffeine every time without having to consistently increase the caffeine dose or cycle off. For brands accustomed to users jumping from one pre-workout to another because one “stopped working,” adding TeaCrine could be a game-changer in customer retention. 
  • Duration of Action: The energy and focus felt from TeaCrine typically lasts four to six hours, while caffeine’s energy typically lasts 1.5 to two hours.  However, it is important to note that in pilot, exploratory data, TeaCrine in isolation administered 1 hour prior to bedtime did not disrupt sleep quality as noted using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index vs. Caffeine. At equivalent caffeine doses, sleep was disrupted with poorer PSQI scores in each of the same subjects who were crossed-over.
  • Non-Stim: Unlike caffeine, TeaCrine decreases anxiety. In fact, TeaCrine is technically not a stimulant. Because TeaCrine does not affect blood pressure, or heart rate, or cause a norepinephrine dump, it’s more of a clean, central “neuro-bioenergetic”—a nootropic. This makes TeaCrine a great choice for both stimulant and non-stimulant energy formulas, as well as cognitive formulas. 

TeaCrine has great potential in the following areas:

  • Clean, Sustained Energy for pre-workouts, fat burners or energy pills
  • Cognitive Performance/Brain/Neuro Health to assist with focus, concentration, anti-fatigue, mood/anxiety and potential executive functional benefits . This could be great for athletes in CrossFit, adventure racing, martial arts, baseball, soccer, golf and more.
  • Dieting Aid/Weight management formulations to help support mood, fight potential craving/appetite modulation.
  • Physical Performance to assist in decreasing perceived exertion (cardio, HIIT or strength-training).
  • Libido due to the dopaminergic action

After decades focused on the muscle’s role in physical performance, many are now more interested in the mind’s role in physical performance. This “neuro” category is where TeaCrine shines. Please see below and attached the references to TeaCrine’s role in cognitive performance.

 

  1. The Feduccia study illustrates its dopamine agonism, and dopamine is related to improvements in mood, motivation and memory.
  2. The “Theacrine, a purine…” study shows that, after physical stress, cognition was restored when supplemented with theacrine.
  3. The “A two part approach” study is our study published in May 2016. It shows significant improvement in energy, focus and concentration, with strong trends in motivation to exercise and libido while also reducing anxiety.
  4. The fourth “TheaTrim study” showed improvements in cognitive performance in the TeaCrine + caffeine group over the caffeine-only group. TeaCrine was “additive” to the benefits of caffeine.  
    1. A statistically significant (p<0.05) condition effect was noted for groggy (p=0.04), with values lower (favorable) for TheaTrim (the 125 mgTeaCrine-containing product) than for placebo and caffeine.
    2. A statistically significant condition effect was noted for jittery (p-0.01), with values higher for caffeine than for TheaTrim TeaCrine product and placebo over the 4 hours of testing post administration.
    3. A trend was noted for a condition effect for lethargic (p=0.09), with the TeaCrine-containing product trending with lower perceived lethargy vs. the caffeine or placebo conditions over the 4 hours post administration.
    4. A strong trend was noted for a condition effect for attentive (p=0.06), alertness (p=0.06), focused (p=0.11), and energetic (p=0.06), with values for the TeaCrine-containing TheaTrim product higher than for placebo and caffeine.
    5. Although a trend was present for the TeaCrine-containing TheaTrim product in choice and non-choice reaction time, it did not reach statistical significance because it was not powered high enough. Our cognitive study underway at Rutgers is definitely adequately powered!
    6. >span class="s2">not elevate heart rate or blood pressure in a statistically significant manner.

 

Regarding the Rutgers study, which is ongoing as of May 2016, it is a randomized, placebo-controlled, four-condition, double-blind clinical trial to compare the effects of Teacrine to Caffeine on various measures of cognitive performance under fatiguing conditions of a simulated athletic activity in high-level male and female soccer players. The secondary purposes are to determine whether there is a synergistic effect of Teacrine + caffeine as well as the impact on time-to-exhaustion in an “added time” scenario.

Answer

TeaCrine’s unique attributes for Fast-Acting Cognitive & Exercise Performance/ Mood/ Clean, Sustained Energy to Perform/ Diet and Fat Loss aids:

  • Dopamine: While TeaCrine does inhibit adenosine A1 and A2a receptors, it is a much stronger dopamine (D1 and D2) agonist. Caffeine does not activate dopamine receptors directly, so TeaCrine is taking on the role of the most novel “feel-good,” or "experiential", no jitter, no crash adjunct to caffeine...the likes of which we haven't seen in decades. No longer do we have to rely on Mucuna pruriens extract for L-dopa, L-tyrosine, L-theanine and/or glucuronolactone to smooth out the less desirable effects of caffeine. The last attachment (Feduccia, A., et al.) explains its dopamine agonism.
  • Non-Habituation: It is clinically proven to be non-habituating. Please see the attached study. The importance of this cannot be overstated. To have the same effect every time, even after 30 or 60 days of daily use, is unheard of.
    • Anecdotally, we’re finding TeaCrine doses ~100mg in combination with caffeine are preventing users from habituating to caffeine. This means that caffeine “loyalists” can potentially feel the same effect from caffeine every time without having to consistently increase the caffeine dose or cycle off. For brands accustomed to users jumping from one pre-workout to another because one “stopped working,” adding TeaCrine could be a game-changer in customer retention. 
  • Duration of Action: The energy and focus felt from TeaCrine typically lasts four to six hours, while caffeine’s energy typically lasts 1.5 to two hours.  However, it is important to note that in pilot, exploratory data, TeaCrine in isolation administered 1 hour prior to bedtime did not disrupt sleep quality as noted using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index vs. Caffeine. At equivalent caffeine doses, sleep was disrupted with poorer PSQI scores in each of the same subjects who were crossed-over.
  • Non-Stim: Unlike caffeine, TeaCrine decreases anxiety. In fact, TeaCrine is technically not a stimulant. Because TeaCrine does not affect blood pressure, or heart rate, or cause a norepinephrine dump, it’s more of a clean, central “neuro-bioenergetic”—a nootropic. This makes TeaCrine a great choice for both stimulant and non-stimulant energy formulas, as well as cognitive formulas. 

TeaCrine has great potential in the following areas:

  • Clean, Sustained Energy for pre-workouts, fat burners or energy pills
  • Cognitive Performance/Brain/Neuro Health to assist with focus, concentration, anti-fatigue, mood/anxiety and potential executive functional benefits . This could be great for athletes in CrossFit, adventure racing, martial arts, baseball, soccer, golf and more.
  • Dieting Aid/Weight management formulations to help support mood, fight potential craving/appetite modulation.
  • Physical Performance to assist in decreasing perceived exertion (cardio, HIIT or strength-training).
  • Libido due to the dopaminergic action

After decades focused on the muscle’s role in physical performance, many are now more interested in the mind’s role in physical performance. This “neuro” category is where TeaCrine shines. Please see below and attached the references to TeaCrine’s role in cognitive performance.

 

  1. The Feduccia study illustrates its dopamine agonism, and dopamine is related to improvements in mood, motivation and memory.
  2. The “Theacrine, a purine…” study shows that, after physical stress, cognition was restored when supplemented with theacrine.
  3. The “A two part approach” study is our study published in May 2016. It shows significant improvement in energy, focus and concentration, with strong trends in motivation to exercise and libido while also reducing anxiety.
  4. The fourth “TheaTrim study” showed improvements in cognitive performance in the TeaCrine + caffeine group over the caffeine-only group. TeaCrine was “additive” to the benefits of caffeine.  
    1. A statistically significant (p<0.05) condition effect was noted for groggy (p=0.04), with values lower (favorable) for TheaTrim (the 125 mgTeaCrine-containing product) than for placebo and caffeine.
    2. A statistically significant condition effect was noted for jittery (p-0.01), with values higher for caffeine than for TheaTrim TeaCrine product and placebo over the 4 hours of testing post administration.
    3. A trend was noted for a condition effect for lethargic (p=0.09), with the TeaCrine-containing product trending with lower perceived lethargy vs. the caffeine or placebo conditions over the 4 hours post administration.
    4. A strong trend was noted for a condition effect for attentive (p=0.06), alertness (p=0.06), focused (p=0.11), and energetic (p=0.06), with values for the TeaCrine-containing TheaTrim product higher than for placebo and caffeine.
    5. Although a trend was present for the TeaCrine-containing TheaTrim product in choice and non-choice reaction time, it did not reach statistical significance because it was not powered high enough. Our cognitive study underway at Rutgers is definitely adequately powered!
    6. >span class="s2">not elevate heart rate or blood pressure in a statistically significant manner.

 

Regarding the Rutgers study, which is ongoing as of May 2016, it is a randomized, placebo-controlled, four-condition, double-blind clinical trial to compare the effects of Teacrine to Caffeine on various measures of cognitive performance under fatiguing conditions of a simulated athletic activity in high-level male and female soccer players. The secondary purposes are to determine whether there is a synergistic effect of Teacrine + caffeine as well as the impact on time-to-exhaustion in an “added time” scenario.