Effects of green tea on cognition, perceived workload, mood, and endurance.
Author: A. Reed and B. Raudenbush
Previous research indicates green tea extract can have beneficial effects on health and performance. The present study was designed to determine the extent to which green tea extract significantly impacts cognitive functioning, endurance, perceived workload, and mood over time. Participants were 18 student athletes who were tested over a 6-week time period. Results of the experiment reveal athletes show a significant improvement in the number of push-ups completed when given green tea extract. No statistically significant improvements were found for cognition, mood, or perceived workload; however, the majority of these measures were greater in the green tea condition. The implication of these results is that natural, and in the case of green tea, very healthy, substances could be used to enhance endurance, rather than pharmacological methods such as caffeine and steroids.
