Don’t Care Matcha ‘bout it?
This powdered green tea originating from Japan has been getting a lot of attention. From its use in hot drinks to cupcakes, it is supposedly high in antioxidants and has many benefits to your physical and mental health. This is because Matcha tea consumption leads to much higher intake of green tea phytochemicals compared to regular green tea (1) and these are beneficial to mood and cognitive performance.
So how does a cup of matcha compare to a cup of coffee when it comes to your health?
Let’s compare caffeine content first. A standard (236mL) cup of matcha green tea contains 38-88milligrams of caffeine (2) whereas a standard (236mL) cup of coffee contains 80-100milligrams (3). Most people can safely consume 300milligrams of caffeine per day, with pregnant women advised to drink no more than 200milligrams of caffeine (4).
So what is all this talk about the slow release of caffeine in Matcha? Well, Matcha contains L-theanine (a type of amino acid). The combination of L-theanine and caffeine in Matcha has been shown to reduce caffeine related arousal and lead to relaxation (5). This means fewer caffeine jitters for Matcha drinkers.
A recent study in 2020 found that daily consumption of matcha in elderly women led to an improvement in cognitive function (6). Consumption of Matcha tea leads to a much higher intake of green tea phytochemicals in comparison to regular green tea (7).There are also some studies that show that Matcha may be linked to a reduction in iron absorption from meals however these are limited in number and more research is needed to establish this link (8).
As with all caffeinated beverages, moderation and timing is key. It is recommended not to have caffeinated beverages after midday to as it has a negative effect on your quality of sleep.
References
Dietz C, Dekker M. Effect of Green Tea Phytochemicals on Mood and Cognition. Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(19):2876-2905. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666170105151800. PMID: 28056735.
Kochman J, Jakubczyk K, Antoniewicz J, Mruk H, Janda K. Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules. 2020 Dec 27;26(1):85. doi: 10.3390/molecules26010085. PMID: 33375458; PMCID: PMC7796401.
US Food and Administration. (2018) Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? Available from: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much#:~:text=For%20reference%2C%20a%2012%20ounce,to%2080%20to%20100%20milligrams
The Association of UK Dieticians (2019) Coffee and Health; it’s not just about the caffeine. Available from: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/coffee-and-health-it-s-not-just-about-the-caffeine.html#:~:text=Health%20organisations%20around%20the%20world,of%20caffeinated%20coffee%20a%20day
Unno K, Furushima D, Hamamoto S, Iguchi K, Yamada H, Morita A, Pervin M, Nakamura Y. Stress-reducing effect of cookies containing matcha green tea: essential ratio among theanine, arginine, caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate. Heliyon. 2019 May 7;5(5):e01653. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01653. PMID: 31111111; PMCID: PMC6512570.
Sakurai K, Shen C, Ezaki Y, Inamura N, Fukushima Y, Masuoka N, Hisatsune T. Effects of Matcha Green Tea Powder on Cognitive Functions of Community-Dwelling Elderly Individuals. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 26;12(12):3639. doi: 10.3390/nu12123639. PMID: 33256220; PMCID: PMC7760932.
Dietz C, Dekker M. Effect of Green Tea Phytochemicals on Mood and Cognition. Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(19):2876-2905. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666170105151800. PMID: 28056735.
Samir Samman, Brittmarie Sandström, Maja Bjørndal Toft, Klaus Bukhave, Mikael Jensen, Sven S Sørensen, Marianne Hansen, Green tea or rosemary extract added to foods reduces nonheme-iron absorption, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 73, Issue 3, March 2001, Pages 607–612, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/73.3.607