Benefits of Matcha: What’s So Good About It? Why All the Hype?
Benefits of Matcha: Everyone seems to be drinking their matcha lattes! But what’s so good about Matcha tea that makes it better than any other run of the mill tea? Here we break down the health benefits to this uber-popular coffee house drink!
Benefits of Matcha: What’s In Matcha Tea?
Matcha tea is finely ground tea leaves, traditional to Japanese ceremonies—matcha packs more significant potential for health benefits than regular green tea does. Catechins in tea are what makes it so healthy, and Matcha has a higher amount of catechins! And there are several different catechins, each producing different health effects. Studies found that by consuming Matcha, you get 137 times greater than the amount of EGCG available from China Green Tips green tea, and at least three times higher than the most substantial value for other green teas.
What Are The Health Benefits of Matcha?
There are several amazing health benefits to consuming Matcha! It lowers stress levels, helps you sleep better, helps fight cancer and boosts immune health. Matcha also helps with brain health and fat loss! So forgo that gross green milkshake, and grab your mug of healthy green Matcha for St Patricks Day—and read through these fantastic benefits to Matcha!
1. Matcha Tea Can Help Reduce Stress + Lower Cortisol
You still get the caffeine from Matcha to help kick-start your day—but matcha tea also contains an abundance of theanine, an amino acid with a stress-reducing/cortisol lowering response. Theanine helps to balance out caffeine. Researchers studied the stress-reducing effect of Matcha and found a high stress-reducing result and decreased levels of anxiety. L-theanine alone improved self-reported relaxation, tension, and calmness starting at 200 mg. L-theanine and caffeine combined were found to particularly improve performance in attention-switching tasks and alertness. In another study, researchers found matcha tea not only significantly reduced stress levels but also helped considerably with sleep!
2. Matcha Tea is Loaded with Antioxidants and May Help Fight Cancer Cells
Matcha contains high levels of antioxidants that help to decrease inflammation, improve immune health, and lower the risk of many diseases! It is is particularly high in EGCG, a catechin with cancer-fighting benefits. Researchers studied matcha tea on breast cancer suppression. Treatment with Matcha was sufficient to suppress both oxidative mitochondrial metabolism (OXPHOS) and glycolytic flux, shifting cancer cells towards a more quiescent metabolic state.
On top of this, Matcha strongly affected mTOR signaling (associated with inflammation and inflammatory health conditions), specifically down-regulating many components of the 40S ribosome. Also, they discovered other key pathways were affected, including the antioxidant response, cell cycle regulation, as well as interleukin signaling. The researchers concluded that Matcha might have significant therapeutic potential by mediating the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells!
3. Benefits of Matcha: Matcha Tea Improves Your Brain Health
Matcha tea has a positive effect on memory, cognition, and mental health! A review of studies done on matcha tea and brain health showed a positive influence on psychopathological symptoms. There was an overall reduction in anxiety, increased memory and attention, and overall better brain function!
The one factor that was found to have the most significant impact on brain health was the combination of both the caffeine and the -theanine together. When these substances were separated, there was significantly less of a health punch!
4. Matcha Tea Enhances Fat Oxidation With Exercise!
One particular catechin found in Matcha known as epigallocatechin gallate (say that five times fast), combined with caffeine (both found in Matcha), increased exercise-induced fat oxidation! What does this mean for you? If you are already actively exercising-even walking fast for a half-hour, drinking Matcha will help boost your metabolism and oxidize more fat than exercise alone.
Benefits of Matcha: Summary
There are many other health benefits of matcha tea, that are not listed above, such as cardiovascular benefits, increased energy, protective against Alzheimer’s, and many more. There is a lot of hype surrounding certain “superfoods” and while I don’t buy into all of the hype, I am a firm believer in the drinking of Matcha!
Homemade Creamy Matcha Drink:
Ingredients:
1 tsp Matcha powder
3/4 cup coconut cream
1/4 cup filtered water
1 TBS honey or maple syrup
1 TBS coconut manna
1/4 tsp cinnamon
One whisk (does not have to be one of those cool matcha whisks, but they do work best)
Directions:
Put all the ingredients except for the cinnamon in a saucepan over med-low and whisk together until heated through (warm simmer). Pour into a mug and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Enjoy!!
The Best Tea!
At this point, you’ve probably heard of matcha or know someone who’s obsessed with it. After all, how could you not? It’s everywhere! Matcha provides calm energy, enhanced focus, and clarity. It also provides immune and heart health support amongst many other benefits.
Sounds like this green frothy drink has now become THE hottest drink in 5,000 years of tea history. As a tea enthusiast myself, I felt compelled to learn more about it… and I discovered some pretty shocking things!
The DISTURBING Truth About Tea
It probably never crossed your mind, but what if the very drink you’re drinking for health could be a brew of pesticides and other toxins? The latest research conducted by esteemed scientists in Canada revealed that teabags are releasing billions of microplastics in your brew! Farms in Japan (where many teas hail from) are also located very close to each other, so ‘pesticide drift’ is a huge problem. Chemical pesticides and herbicides used on one farm can get carried by wind to adjacent farms!
Why should this matter to YOU?
When you’re drinking something for your health, you want to ensure it is pure, especially if it’s a daily habit. Consuming toxins unknowingly every day can have scary cumulative long-term health effects.
What can you do to avoid this?
Drink matcha! Unlike tea bags, which require steeping, matcha is a powder derived from ground-up tea leaves. This eliminates the risk of consuming microplastics released from teabags.
But, not all matcha is created equal… Turns out, most of the highest ceremonial grade matcha is not organic, and organic matcha is rarely the highest grade.
>> This is why I’m thrilled to share this with you: I’ve discovered the world’s purest matcha.
In fact, it might be the purest food I’ve ever come across. Believe me, I don’t say this casually. But I’ve seen their lab results with my own eyes and this company has screened for just about every possible toxin that can be found in tea. And it’s also the highest ceremonial grade matcha!
Introducing: Pique’s Sun Goddess Matcha
for:
- Heavy Metals
- Fluoride
- Pesticides
- Toxic Mold
- Radioactive Isotopes
Friends, this was no small feat, and took Pique over 18 months to perfect! After studying the matcha-making process and learning from Japanese cultivars and tea masters, Pique finally found the perfect source. Their matcha comes from a tea farm located in Kagoshima, which neighbors Okinawa, a ‘Blue Zone’ linked to human longevity. It is also the FURTHEST possible spot from Fukushima’s radioactive and industrial pollution.
Wait – there’s more.
Pique’s matcha leaves are also shaded up to 35% longer than other leaves, which creates a much higher level of l-theanine, aka nature’s chill pill. It’s the ingredient in matcha that relaxes you while giving you calm, focused energy. Raising the level of l-theanine through shading also increases the creamy “umami” flavor of their matcha. They make the creamiest matcha lattes!
For this week only, Pique is offering you up to 15% off + FREE SHIPPING (worth $7) on their Sun Goddess Matcha bundles! This makes the perfect gift (of health) to friends and family! All you have to do is click here and enjoy the world’s purest and most delicious ceremonial grade matcha
References:
Weiss DJ, Anderton CR. J Chromatogr A. 2003 Sep 5;1011(1-2):173-80. Determination of catechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.
Unno, Keiko et al. “Stress-Reducing Function of Matcha Green Tea in Animal Experiments and Clinical Trials.” Nutrients vol. 10,10 1468. 10 Oct. 2018, doi:10.3390/nu10101468
Christina Dietz and Matthijs Dekker*, “Effect of Green Tea Phytochemicals on Mood and Cognition,” Current Pharmaceutical Design (2017) 23: 2876. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170105151800
Unno, Keiko et al. “Reduced Stress and Improved Sleep Quality Caused by Green Tea Are Associated with a Reduced Caffeine Content.” Nutrients vol. 9,7 777. Jul 19. 2017, doi:10.3390/nu9070777
Bonuccelli, Gloria et al. “Matcha green tea (MGT) inhibits the propagation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), by targeting mitochondrial metabolism, glycolysis and multiple cell signalling pathways.” Aging vol. 10,8 (2018): 1867-1883. doi:10.18632/aging.101483
Mancini, E et al. “Green tea effects on cognition, mood and human brain function: A systematic review.” Phytomedicine Volume 34, Oct 15, 2017, Pages 26-37.DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2017.07.008
Willems, Mark Elisabeth Theodorus, Mehmet Akif Şahin, and Matthew David Cook. “Matcha Green Tea Drinks Enhance Fat Oxidation During Brisk Walking in Females”. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 28.5: 536-541. < https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0237>. Web. Mar 12, 2020.
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