Review 000–Matchas scientific benefits. A complete Guide.

This article will dive into the science of matcha and its benefits. If you're looking for a quick list of specific matcha powders the strategist has some good suggestions.

Sencha vs Gyokuro

Sencha is traditionally what people think of as “green tea” but really green tea is an umbrella term that encompasses green, white, oolong and several others! These teas are produced by the same tea leaves (Camellia sinensis L.) (Baba et al., 2021). What differentiates them all is how they are processed (shaded vs non-shaded), harvested, and the production process. Sencha is grown in direct sunlight and harvested subsequently thereafter. Whereas Gyokuro (matcha) is grown in direct sunlight as well, but they are shaded roughly 30 days before harvesting. The lack of sunlight during this time causes an increase in chlorophyll (needed in the production of photosynthesis, aka survive), produces higher levels of amino acids and bioactive compounds, but why the deep green color look? Well, chlorophyll does not absorb the green wavelength of white light, so it’s reflected from the plant, so increased intensity (National Geographic, 2021). Now the quality of matcha is another post in itself, that would cover the soil, topography, natural environment, climate and how long they have been producing it for. Ok, now that we all have our horticulture degrees lets go into some of the science.

Health benefits

A quick web search will have countless websites with catchy terms like: antioxidants (well delve into what this actually is later), increase overall health benefits, increases clarity, gives you superpowers (ok maybe a bit of hyperbole). Nevertheless, little will give any references or actual publications to back up their claim. They hope that people will blindly buy a product with no information. People are smarter in what they consume today and want real information. That's you☝️.

Antioxidants

• Why should we care about antioxidants? (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2021) – We are constantly bombarded with free radicals (highly unstable molecules that can trigger cell damage) from everyday life (cigarette smoking, pollution, stress, exercise and pretty much anything in between). This constant bombardment of cell damage is believed at least in part to be a driving factor in many diseases. Antioxidants thus counteract unstable molecules (free radicals).

• Can antioxidant supplements help prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and cataracts? → The short answer is no. The long answer is depending on what chronic disease you are treating and what scientific research in tandem with your primary care provider have to say. – In fact, high-dose antioxidants supplements may worsen your health depending on the antioxidant and amount. So stick to fruits and vegetables just as your parents advised.

Epidemiological studies and associated meta-analyses strongly suggest that long-term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer protection against the development of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases- Rizvi et al.,

So, what the hell is in matcha? (Kochman et al., 2020)

Polyphenols can contain up to 30%, these compounds in one form or another have anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant capabilities.

• Catechins that manly include, (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) and (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)

• Caffeine generally around 18.9-44.4 mg/g (coffee beans contains 10-12 mg caffeine /g of beans),

• Phenolic acids that include gallic acid—423 μg/g, p-hydroxybenzoic acid—243 μg/g, chlorogenic acid—4800 μg/g, caffeic acid—223 μg/g, ferulic acid—289 μg/g and ellagic acid—371 μg/g.

• Rutin: A type of polyphenolic compound matcha contains 1968.8 mg/L. Compared with buckwheat (62.30 mg/100 g). This compound works together with ascorbic acid and enhance its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

• Quercetin: Phytochemical contains around 1.2 mg/mL

• Vitamin C: essential micronutrient. Contains 1.63–3.98 mg/g

• Chlorophyll: Contains 4.3-5.5 mg/g

• Theanine: Is an amino acid and the ingredient responsible for matcha teas none bitter taste (at least to some). Add caffeine that is already naturally occuring, and you get the umami taste. The amounts contained vary so widely I didn’t find a good source. This might be why some matcha teas taste bitter while others don’t. They must have not shaded their leafs as long, causing theanine breakdown earlier, increasing the bitterness taste.

While several articles cite anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective effects, improvement of cognitive function and prevention of neurodegenerative disorders, and regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. Few if any have actually studied matcha teas in comparison to a placebo. Isolated these ingredients are indeed effective as indicated but as we know experiments in a vacuum do not always emulate real life. There is one randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind study that is under a pay wall.

Matcha straight to your gut

There is a study happening now in Japan looking at the gut microbiota in healthy Japanese individuals: study protocol for a double-blind crossover interventional study. Where the researchers are looking at the changes in gut flora before and after consumption of matcha tea. If the researchers find something it could indeed lead to a new benefit, as we are now understanding that the gut microbiota is a novel risk factor for cardiovascular disease (heart-gut axis) Takegami et al., 2021,.

Straight to your brain

A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in Japan studied if matcha improved fatigue, concentration, ability to think, or energy. This occurred over a two week span with 42 participants and found no significant difference Baba et al., 2021,. However, that timeframe and number of participants was not adequate to power this study.

End Remarks

Matcha tea has many individual ingredients proven to help battle free radicals, inflammation, and an array of other benefits. Depending on where you purchase your matcha tea it can have minimal processing, improving its benefits. Clinical trial studies, however, are sparse in the matcha tea category. There are some sencha population studies for brewed green tea that were favorable.

I say enjoy your matcha tea! But remember the higher quality teas showed higher levels of theanine, leading to more umami flavor 💣 s.

Cheers,

MM

References:

1. Pandey KB, Rizvi SI. Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2009;2(5):270-278. doi:10.4161/oxim.2.5.9498

2. Baba, Y., Kaneko, T., & Takihara, T. (2021). Matcha consumption maintains attentional function following a mild acute psychological stress without affecting a feeling of fatigue: A randomized placebo-controlled study in young adults. Nutr Res, 88, 44-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2020.12.024

3. Takegami, M., Hashimoto, Y., Miyoshi, T., Munekawa, C., Yoshimura, T., Nakajima, H., Kimura, T., Okamura, T., Nakanishi, N., Kitao, Y., Kinoshita, K., Hamaguchi, M., & Fukui, M. (2021). Effect of matcha consumption on gut microbiota in healthy Japanese individuals: study protocol for a double-blind crossover interventional study. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-391684/v1

4. Health, N. C. F. C. A. I. (2021). Antioxidants: In Depth. Retrieved 2021-05-15 from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants-in-depth

5. Muncy, L. (2020). The Best Matcha Powders, According to Matcha Obsessives. Retrieved 2021-05-15 from https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-matcha-powder.html

6. Kochman, J., Jakubczyk, K., Antoniewicz, J., Mruk, H., & Janda, K. (2020). Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules, 26(1), E85. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010085

7. Sifferlin, Alexndra (2018). Should You Drink Matcha Tea? Retrieved 2021-05-15 from https://time.com/5188377/matcha-tea-benefits/

8. Geographic, N. Chlorophyll. Retrieved 2021-05-15 from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/chlorophyll/