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Research Database
The only comprehensive database for clinical and medical research papers on the healthy benefits of matcha/green tea.
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Cognitive Function
Matcha consumption leads to much higher intake of green tea phytochemicals compared to regular green tea. Previous research on caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) repeatedly demonstrated benefits on cognitive performance.
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Heart Health
According to Harvard Medical School, “lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease may be as easy as drinking green tea. Studies suggest this light, aromatic tea may lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which may be responsible for the tea's association with reduced risk of death from heart disease and stroke.”
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Mental Health
Matcha contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which has been shown to reduce physiological and psychological stresses. L-theanine also improves cognition and mood in a synergistic manner with caffeine, and promotes alpha wave production in the brain
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Cancer Prevention
Matcha/green tea has for many centuries been regarded as an essential part of good health in Japan and China. Many believe it can help reduce the risk of cancer, and a growing body of evidence backs this up.
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Immunity
A recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that drinking matcha daily greatly enhanced the overall response of the immune system. The exceedingly high levels of antioxidants in matcha mainly take the form of polyphenols, catechins, and flavonoids, each of which aids the body’s defense in its daily struggles against free radicals that come from the pollution in your air, water and foods.
Learn MoreMost Recent Research Articles
Toxicity of green tea extracts and their constituents in rat hepatocytes in primary culture
Author: M. Schmidt and H.-J. Schmitz and A. Baumgart and D. Guédon and M.I. Netsch and M.-H. Kreuter and C.B. Schmidlin and D. Schrenk
Recent reports on sporadic cases of liver disorders (acute hepatitis, icterus, hepatocellular necrosis) after ingestion of dietary supplements based on hydro-alcoholic extracts from green tea leaves led to restrictions of the marketing of such products in certain countries of the EU. Since green tea is considered to exert a number of beneficial health effects, and, therefore, green tea products are widely used as dietary supplements, we were interested in the possible mechanism of hepatotoxicity of green tea extracts and in the components involved in such effects. Seven hours after seeding on collagen, rat hepatocytes in primary culture were treated with various hydro-alcoholic green tea extracts (two different native 80% ethanolic dry extracts and an 80% ethanolic dry extract cleared from lipophilic compounds). Cells were washed, and reduction of resazurin, used as a viability parameter monitoring intact mitochondrial function, was determined. It was found that all seven green tea extracts examined enhanced resazurin reduction significantly at a concentration range of 100–500 μg/ml medium, while a significant decrease was observed at 1–3 mg/ml medium. Decreased levels were concomitant with abundant necrosis as observed by microscopic inspection of the cultures and with increased leakage of lactate dehydrogenase activity from the cells. In a separate series of experiments, the green tea constituents (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, caffeine and theanine were tested at concentrations reflecting their levels in a typical green tea extract. Synthetic (+)-epigallocatechin (200 μM) was used for comparison. Cytotoxicity was found with (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate only. The concomitant addition of 0.25 mM ascorbate/0.05 mM α-tocopherol had no influence on cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our results suggest that high concentrations of green tea extract can exert acute toxicity in rat liver cells. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate seems to be a key constituent responsible for this effect. The relatively low bioavailability of catechins reported after oral exposure to green tea argues, however, against a causal role of these constituents in the reported liver disorders.
Analysis of catechins from milk–tea beverages by enzyme assisted extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography
Author: Mario G. Ferruzzi and Rodney J. Green
Extraction and analysis of physiologically significant tea catechins from complex food matrices is complicated by strong association of tea catechins with macronutrients such as proteins. Dependable extraction methods are required to accurately assess and validate levels of bioactive tea catechins in new products. The objective of this work was to investigate recovery of tea catechins from dairy matrices and evaluate pepsin treatment as an enzymatic step to enhance catechin recovery from milk and other protein rich formulations. Brewed green tea was combined with skim milk to produce test solutions ranging from 10% to 50% milk. Samples were treated by either acid (0.1 N HCl), methanol, or by pepsin (40.0 mg/mL). Following treatments, samples were centrifuged and supernatants analyzed for tea catechins by reversed phase C18 HPLC with photodiode array detection. Recovery of total catechins was highest for pepsin treated samples (89–102%), followed by methanol deproteination (78–87%) and acid precipitation (20–74%) with values decreasing with increased milk content. Individual recovery of gallated catechins, namely epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin-gallate (ECG), was most affected by the presence and level of milk. The usefulness of pepsin treatment for enhancing recovery of tea catechins was further demonstrated in analysis of commercial soy and milk–tea beverages.
Green Tea, the “Asian Paradox,” and Cardiovascular Disease
Author: Bauer E. Sumpio and Alfredo C. Cordova and David W. Berke-Schlessel and Feng Qin and Quan Hai Chen
Metabolic effects of spices, teas, and caffeine
Author: Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga and Kristel Diepvens and Annemiek M.C.P. Joosen and Sonia Bérubé-Parent and Angelo Tremblay
Consumption of spiced foods or herbal drinks leads to greater thermogenesis and in some cases to greater satiety. In this regard, capsaicin, black pepper, ginger, mixed spices, green tea, black tea and caffeine are relevant examples. These functional ingredients have the potential to produce significant effects on metabolic targets such as satiety, thermogenesis, and fat oxidation. A significant clinical outcome sometimes may appear straightforwardly but also depends too strongly on full compliance of subjects. Nevertheless, thermogenic ingredients may be considered as functional agents that could help in preventing a positive energy balance and obesity.
Effect of brewing temperature and duration on green tea catechin solubilization: Basis for production of EGC and EGCG-enriched fractions
Author: David Labbé and Angelo Tremblay and Laurent Bazinet
In an industrial context of producing catechin-enriched fractions by electromigration, a new technology demonstrated to be effective for concentration of the two main catechins (EGC and EGCG) of green tea, the recovery yield from tea leaves during brewing would be the most important parameter of the whole process rentability. However, the majority of the kinetic studies were carried-out on black tea, a fermented tea. Consequently, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C) and brewing duration (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 min) on the catechin solubilization from green tea, a non-fermented tea. The use of mathematical models revealed that there was a variable interdependence between the brewing duration and the brewing temperature on catechin and caffeine concentrations. It was possible to divide catechins in two groups, the time dependent compounds (EGC and EC) and the time/temperature dependent compounds (C, EGCG, GCG and ECG). Furthermore, the 3D models calculated to represent the evolution of the catechins and caffeine concentrations allowed to determine the best combination of time and temperature for their extraction: 50 °C during 20–40 min for time-dependent compounds, 90 °C during 80 min for the time/temperature-dependent compounds, and 70–80 °C during 20–40 min for caffeine. Furthermore, this research pointed out a very simple two-step procedure to fractionate the EGC and EGCG by modifying brewing temperature and time parameters.
Role of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer
Author: Emma C. Stuart and Marissa J. Scandlyn and Rhonda J. Rosengren
Green tea and its major constituent epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have been extensively studied as a potential treatment for a variety of diseases, including cancer. Epidemiological data have suggested that EGCG may provide protective effects against hormone related cancers, namely breast or prostate cancer. Extensive in vitro investigations using both hormone responsive and non-responsive cell lines have shown that EGCG induces apoptosis and alters the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins that are critical for cell survival and apoptosis. This review will highlight the important in vitro mechanistic actions elicited by EGCG in various breast and prostate cancer cell lines. Additionally, the actions of green tea/EGCG in in vivo models for these cancers as well as in clinical trials will be discussed.
More tea for septic patients? – Green tea may reduce endotoxin-induced release of high mobility group box 1 and other pro-inflammatory cytokines
Author: Xiaotian Chen and Wei Li and Haichao Wang
Summary Despite recent advances in antibiotic therapy and intensive care, sepsis remains widespread problems in critically ill patients. The high mortality of sepsis is in part mediated by bacterial endotoxin, which stimulates macrophages/monocytes to sequentially release early (e.g., TNF, IL-1, and IFN-γ) and late (e.g., HMGB1) pro-inflammatory cytokines. In light of our recent discovery of HMGB1 as a late mediator of lethal systemic inflammation, and the observation that green tea (Camellia sinensis) dose-dependently attenuated bacterial endotoxin-induced HMGB1 release, we propose that regular tea intake might decrease the incidence of and mortality rates from lethal endotoxemia and sepsis.