Personality-guided precision nutrition: Differential cardiovascular and acupuncture meridian responses to aged white tea depend on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator traits

Aged white tea has attracted growing interest for its health-promoting properties, yet individual variability in its physiological effects remains poorly understood. This study investigated the chemical composition, antidepressant-like effects, and personality-dependent physiological responses to 15-year-aged white tea (15YWT) through integrated animal and human experiments. Chemical analysis revealed that 15YWT contained 43.11 ± 0.48 mg/g caffeine and 6.05 ± 0.93 mg/g L-theanine, with potent antioxidant activity (FRAP: 0.381 ± 0.013 μmol FeSO₄/L). In CUMS mouse models, 15YWT (910 mg/kg) significantly reversed depressive-like behaviors, as evidenced by increased sucrose preference, elevated central zone retention time, and reduced immobility in tail suspension and forced swim tests. Mechanistically, 15YWT modulated HPA axis function by reducing serum ACTH and corticosterone levels, while enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GSH-Px). In a human cohort of 40 healthy volunteers stratified by MBTI personality traits, 15YWT consumption elicited markedly distinct cardiovascular and acupuncture meridian electrical potential responses: ESFP individuals exhibited an "activating" pattern with increased systolic blood pressure and Pericardium Meridian potential, whereas INTP individuals displayed a "soothing" pattern with decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and widespread meridian potential reductions. These findings demonstrate that aged white tea exerts antidepressant effects through antioxidant and HPA axis-regulating mechanisms, and that personality traits may serve as biomarkers for predicting individualized physiological responses, providing a theoretical foundation for personality-guided precision nutrition.