Matcha Effects / Potential Health Benefits
Matcha tea is a type of green tea. Thanks to its antioxidant content, it can have positive effects on heart health, weight, and other health aspects. It's also easy to incorporate into your diet.
We have compiled some positive effects that are proven by studies.
1. Anticarcinogenic effects
The anticarcinogenic properties of green tea and its main component, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), are well known. EGCG may inhibit tumor angiogenesis, exert antioxidant effects, and suppress inflammatory processes that contribute to transformation, hyperproliferation, and the development of carcinogenesis.
2. Anti-inflammatory effect
Inflammatory reactions produce excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage cellular structures and lead to long-term dysfunction in the body. The main effect of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances like matcha is to inhibit signaling in the inflammatory process by eliminating ROS.
3. Potential for regulating carbohydrate metabolism
Catechins and other polyphenols have hypoglycemic effects. Matcha can lower blood sugar levels. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can inhibit starch digestion, thus minimizing the sudden release of glucose in the gastrointestinal tract, inhibiting gluconeogenesis and the absorption of lipids and glucose from the gastrointestinal tract, and improving insulin sensitivity. This mechanism can regulate obesity.
4. Improvement of cognitive function, prevention of neurodegenerative diseases
Regular caffeine intake may reduce the risk of cognitive decline in women, with the effect increasing with age. By reversing oxidative processes and reducing neuroinflammation, caffeine may indirectly inhibit brain aging. Systemic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which plays a key role in neurodegenerative diseases, can be inhibited by EGCG. Therefore, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can be considered a neuroprotective agent in inflammation-related neurological diseases.
5. Cardiovascular effects
Cigarette smoking is considered one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In an animal study, rats were exposed to cigarette smoke and simultaneously treated orally with EGCG. The smoke exposure effect resulted in increased markers of myocardial damage and lipid abnormalities. Administration of EGCG reversed these abnormalities. The results of this study suggest that the antioxidant EGCG may have a protective effect on the heart muscle by preventing cardiac inflammatory changes through reducing oxidative stress. EGCG may potentially have a protective effect on the heart muscle of surgical patients vulnerable to ischemic injury by inhibiting the activation of stress-activated protein kinase and the signaling pathways that trigger the inflammatory response.
Summary
Matcha green tea offers a wide range of potential health benefits due to its unique composition of bioactive compounds, as shown in Table 2 (2021 study by Joanna Kochmann). It contains high concentrations of phenolic acids, quercetin, rutin, theanine, and chlorophyll, exceeding those found in other green tea varieties. Matcha is a relatively new and unknown product, not comparable to traditional green tea; it is a distinct tea variety with distinct properties. Its infusions and extracts may have potential applications in the prevention of lifestyle diseases caused by free radicals and inflammation, as well as in the prevention of premature aging. Matcha tea, thanks to its powdered form, is suitable as an easily usable food additive. To confirm the proposed beneficial effects of matcha tea on human health, more extensive research is needed, including a detailed investigation of the chemical composition of matcha tea, studies using cell lines and animal models, and randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
Scientific articles:
Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review (2021)
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/1/85
The therapeutic potential of matcha tea: A critical review on human and animal studies (2022)
