You can google it. There’s plenty out there on the benefits of matcha. But what happens when you start reading a second article, from a different website, and realize that somebody has simply done a bit of copy-paste? Well, it becomes easy to grow skeptical. The information in the following two paragraphs is sourced from “Health Benefits of Green Tea: An Evidence-based Approach.” A study published in 2017 by Rutgers University, USA, and University of Shizuoka, Japan.
We could chat for hours about all sorts of aspects but we’re going to simply focus on antioxidants. Matcha has around 1,300 per gram. Compared to 105/g in pomegranate or 253/g in Goji Berries. These antioxidants are made of catechins. They prevent cell damage and increase the productivity of our immune system. A particularly important one is Epigallocatechin Gallate or more simply, EGCG. It’s the most commonly referred to catechin present in green tea. Here’s why.
Not only does it increase T-Cell production, (which are in charge of finding foreign bodies and killing them), but EGCG directly acts on hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). The proteins HA and NA are visible protrusions on influenza virus particles. They are suppressed by EGCG and therefore their spread is limited. But matcha also has Strictinin, which inhibits the fusion of a virus and disables its ability to replicate. The health benefits don’t stop there, as mentioned before, we could chat for hours. And we will. So stay tuned for the individual articles that will break down each wonderful reason for drinking Matcha. For now, thanks for reading lots of fancy words and science for: drink Matcha, it’ll help.