You’ve probably seen matcha lattes on a lot of menus at your favorite coffee shops, or you’ve eaten delicious desserts that were colored a bright green with this powdered tea. Matcha is a healthy beverage with a unique flavor profile, a wide range of culinary options, and a wealth of health benefits in addition to its Instagram-worthy color.
How Does Matcha Tea Work?
A type of green tea known as matcha is made from whole, powdered tea leaves. It is made from Camellia sinensis, the same plant that is used to make white, green, black, and oolong teas. It is grown from plants that have very strict growing procedures.
This superfood gets its unique umami, savory flavor, and antioxidant boost from a labor-intensive growing process that involves shading and tarping the tea fields. Its roots are in traditional practices in China and Japan.
Matcha’s flavor is balanced between the bitter and astringent catechins and the sweet amino acid L-Theanine because it is grown in the shade. Amino acids are the molecules that make up proteins and are necessary for the body to function properly. Additionally, it allows these beneficial elements to concentrate within the leaf, making it much more robust than other teas because it is consumed as a whole leaf rather than as a decoction.
Lauren Danson, President of Mizuba Tea Co., finds it accommodating to utilize the similarity of champagne while considering matcha. ” For instance, matcha will always be powdered green tea, but it will not necessarily be matcha if it is made with powdered green tea from outside of Japan,” she states.
The tea has a vigorous and gritty flavor and even mixes well with various milks, particularly soy and oat.
5 Benefits of Matcha for Your Health
While there is a long list of advantages to drinking green tea, less research has been done on matcha. But a lot of the active nutrients in matcha, like polyphenols, caffeine, and amino acids, have been found to have a lot of good health benefits.
It might make cardiovascular health better
Matcha contains a lot of micronutrients, especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a plant compound that can be good for your health. According to a study that was published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, research on the effects of EGCG on cardiovascular and metabolic health has shown that it can “exhibit a wide range of therapeutic properties including anti-atherosclerosis, anti-cardiac hypertrophy, anti-myocardial infarction, anti-diabetes, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.” Matcha supports the cardiovascular system’s healthy function by preventing heart attacks, plaque buildup, and other conditions like thickened heart tissue.
It has a lot of antioxidants
Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress by removing harmful molecules from the body. Catechins, which are antioxidants, are abundant in both matcha and green teas as a whole. According to a study published in Food Research Internationa, “tea also contains flavonoids, compounds reported to have antioxidant properties that have many beneficial effects.” Teeth decay can be avoided and inflammation can be reduced by tea flavonoids.
It might be able to fight cancer
Matcha’s anti-cancer properties have been investigated for many of its beneficial components. Green tea consumption and the inverse effects of gastric cancers are the subject of numerous large-scale cohort studies. One such concentrate in Disease Causes and Control comprising of more than 1,400 people, found utilization of green tea was related with lower chance of stomach cancer[3].
Matcha’s phytochemicals, catechins and gallic acid, have been studied to see if they can boost the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs when used in conjunction with chemotherapy.
It may help you lose weight
The Public Organization for Wellbeing states that green tea “increments energy use and fat oxidation, diminishes lipogenesis and fat ingestion,” and has a “potential humble impact on body weight.”
One clinical trial published in Obesity followed 76 overweight people for four months and found that drinking green tea every day helps people lose weight.
It might make your skin radiant and healthy
Matcha powder and green teas are really great for interior circumstances as well as can be utilized to further develop skin wellbeing too. ” According to a Food Research International study, “green tea constituents may be useful topically for promoting skin regeneration, wound healing, or treatment of certain epithelial conditions such as aphthous ulcers, psoriasis, rosacea, and actinic keratosis.”
Additionally, “compounds such as caffeine and EGCG make matcha the perfect addition to your skincare routine and can be used as a simple face mask to help subdue redness and give your skin a healthy glow,” according to naturopathic physician Colleen Tyler, an avid tea drinker.
Where to Find Matcha and How to Prepare It
Matcha is probably best known as a warming beverage, but it can also be used in cooking and other settings. Its “powdered structure has permitted it to take on numerous cycles in the cutting edge age,” as per Danson.
Danson adds, “Many people might be familiar with the matcha latte, Kit Kat, or ice cream.” However, “since then, creativity with matcha uses has gone wild.” Matcha pancakes, sodas, cocktails, cakes, cookies, and even matcha noodles and face masks are all favorites of ours. Sprinkling matcha on yogurt or oatmeal is a simple way to add a fun little burst of delicious flavor to your breakfast.
Could improve brain health
Matcha is well-known for its abilities to support healthy aging, particularly in the brain. Matcha’s impact on the cognitive abilities of Japanese seniors was the subject of a 2020 study. During the course of two weeks, 61 participants in the study consumed either matcha or a placebo daily.
Two Alzheimer’s disease markers improved in female participants who received matcha: overall functioning and episodic memory, which is the capacity to recall specific details about events that occur every day. The male members didn’t see similar outcomes.
Other studies support the effects of matcha on memory, cognitive function, and improved focus. However, the benefits to cognitive function were found to be greater in women than in men, and scientists say that larger studies on humans are needed to confirm the benefits of matcha to brain health.
Reduces risk of heart disease
Some examination has tracked down the cell reinforcement and mitigating properties in matcha may fortify heart wellbeing.
Green tea, including matcha, was found to prevent atherosclerosis—the formation of plaques in the arteries—in a landmark 2001 study, but the research was conducted on animals rather than humans.
Matcha’s anti-atherosclerosis properties have been supported by recent research on some of the tea’s vitamins, including vitamin C; however, more research is needed to confirm this effect.