Benefits drinking matcha green tea
Benefits drinking matcha green tea. Once considered an exotic drink central to Japanese tea ceremonies, matcha is now found in coffee shops and cafes around the world. But matcha’s vibrant green hue isn’t just good fodder for Instagram feeds. This green powder may also boost the health of older Americans. Research has found benefits for memory, heart health, immune system and healthy aging.
Many other types of teas and foods offer these benefits as well. Learn more about what sets matcha apart and whether it’s worth adding to your routine.
What is matcha?
Known for its distinct green color, matcha is a highly concentrated, powdered form of green tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea leaves used for matcha are grown in shade, creating a richer, sweeter flavor than other teas.
“Matcha is most readily consumed as tea and people in Asia, especially in Japan and China, have drunk matcha tea for centuries,” says Frank Hu, the chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Recently, matcha powders have also been added to smoothies, ice cream, desserts and infusions.
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This is significantly higher than a cup (237 mL) of regular green tea, which provides 35 mg of caffeine.
Caffeine content also varies based on how much powder you add. Matcha, which can have a grassy and bitter taste, is often served with a sweetener or milk. Matcha powder is also popular in smoothies and baking.
How is it prepared?
Benefits drinking matcha green tea. While regular tea is made from soaked leaves, matcha is made from ground whole leaves.
It’s usually prepared in the traditional Japanese way. The tea is measured with a bamboo spoon, or shashaku, into a heated tea bowl known as a chawan.
Hot water (about 158°F or 70°C) is then added to the bowl. The tea is whisked with a special bamboo whisk, called a chasen, until it becomes smooth with froth on top.
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Matcha can be prepared in several consistencies:
- Standard. Most people mix 1 teaspoon of matcha powder with 2 ounces (59 mL) of hot water.
- Usucha (thin). This thinner version uses about 1/2 teaspoon of matcha mixed with 3–4 ounces (89–118 mL) of hot water.
- Koicha (thick). Sometimes used in Japanese tea ceremonies, this thick version uses 2 teaspoons of matcha per 1 ounce (30 mL) of hot water. There is no foam, and a higher grade of matcha is required.
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Remember that you don’t need special equipment to make a good cup of matcha. A cup, a teaspoon, and a small whisk will do just fine.
How It Tastes
Though it’s made from the same leaf, some people say matcha is sweeter and creamier than regular green tea. You may also notice a “grassiness” to the smell and taste, especially if you use a lot of the powder.
Health Benefits
Antioxidants are substances in foods that can help protect your cells from damage. Some studies show that because of the way it’s made, matcha may have more of those than loose-leaf green tea. But researchers don’t know yet if that means it has any more health benefits.
Lower Blood Pressure
Catechins, an antioxidant in matcha, may help with this. They seem to be especially helpful if your upper number is 130 or higher, which can raise your chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, among other issues.
Lower Cholesterol
Catechins also seem to help with your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and total cholesterol numbers. That’s good because high levels of those can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Improves gut health
The polyphenols in matcha affect gut health. Hills credits this to the EGCG catechins, a type of polyphenol highly concentrated in matcha.
The gut microbiome plays an important role in diseases like diabetes, obesity and liver disorders.
The EGCG catechins also add healthy bacteria to the gut and may improve metabolism. After two weeks of one matcha tea a day, changes often begin in the microbiome, Hills says.
3. Lowers heart disease risks
Some research has found the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in matcha may strengthen heart health.
A landmark study from 2001 found green tea, including matcha, prevented atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques in the arteries, but the study was done in animals, not humans.
Recent studies on certain vitamins in matcha, including vitamin C, support the tea’s preventative properties against atherosclerosis, but more research is needed to confirm this effect.
4. Lowers stress
A 2023 analysis of studies in Current Research in Food Science found matcha may help decrease stress and anxiety. This may be due to matcha’s high levels of L-theanine, an amino acid linked to better mood and lower stress levels.
Swapping coffee or energy drinks for matcha may be a great way to get the benefits of caffeine without the stress because matcha’s caffeine properties differ from coffee.
“Coffee can cause rapid action, but also a sudden drop in energy and drowsiness, which is known as the ‘roller-coaster’ effect,” says Jakubczyk. “The caffeine in matcha has a different effect due to the presence of L-theanine, which makes the effects of matcha longer and milder.”
5. Supports a stronger immune system
A matcha a day keeps the doctor away. At least, that’s what evidence linking matcha to a stronger immune system suggests. Matcha’s anti-inflammatory properties support a healthy immune system, while its marked improvements in gut health also strengthen immune response.
Is it safe to drink matcha green tea every day?
It’s perfectly safe to drink matcha tea every day, but it’s best to consume in moderation. If you’re pregnant or sensitive to caffeine, you should keep an eye on your consumption as it’s relatively high in caffeine.
Ingesting excessive amounts of green tea have been linked with toxicity, so it’s important you don’t drink too much matcha as it’s a more concentrated version of green tea.
For example, the anti-inflammatory polyphenol catechin EGCG can cause toxicity in extremely high doses. Liver toxicity has been reported in cases where people have taken very high amounts of green tea extract (700 – 2000mg EGCG per day) in supplement form. However, with only around 100mg EGCG in a cup of matcha, you’d have to drink an unrealistic amount before you saw any issues.15
Too much green tea may affect blood-thinning medications, and the tannins in green tea can hinder the absorption of non-meat sources of iron (such as beans).
Differences between them
Matcha and green tea come from the same plant as other teas. The main differences are in their production processes and the content of the end product.
Matcha goes through a more careful growth and extraction process than other teas. Manufacturers do not grow most green teas in the shade or protect them from oxidation. These added steps help control variables in production and give matcha its unique characteristics and flavor.
Other teas may go through multiple processes — such as heating, drying, and rolling — after harvest. The exact processes vary depending on the type of green tea.
The end product causes differences in flavor for matcha and green tea. Where green tea may have a light, refreshing flavor, matcha tends to be rich, with a stronger, grassy flavor.
As the beverage contains entire pulverized tea leaves, some people may consider it a form of concentrated green tea.
People may enjoy these flavors alone or with a light sweetener such as honey.
The boldness of matcha makes it popular in culinary recipes, and people who drink matcha may add it to milk or a plant-based milk to create a matcha latte instead of a coffee.
Health benefits of green tea
People have used green tea medicinally in countries such as China and Japan for thousands of years. suggests that green tea is a source of antioxidants and minerals such as magnesium and manganese, among others.
The benefits of green tea and its compounds may include;
- increased mental alertness
- improved working memory
- headache relief
- promotion of weight loss
- digestive symptom relief
Health benefits of matcha
Matcha shares many of the benefits of green tea.
Its growing, harvesting, and preparation processes may boost the production of certain compounds that benefit health, which may make it the best concentrated source of these compounds.
Specifically, these processes may boost levels of:
- caffeine
- theanine
- chlorophyll
- antioxidant catechins
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is the most active and abundant antioxidant in green tea, and it is at its highest concentrations in matcha.
Since many of green tea’s benefits stem from these active antioxidants, matcha may have a positive effect on physical and mental health.
The benefits of matcha may include:
- improved memory and cognitive function
- reduced oxidative stress
- fighting of inflammation
- reduced photoaging
- improved markers of metabolic health
- strengthened blood vessels in the heart
- reduced factors of tumor growth in the gut.
