Matcha vs Green Tea: Which Is Better For Longevity?

When it comes to longevity drinks, chances are that green tea will top the list. However, in recent years matcha has significantly grown in popularity, with many looking at it as the ultimate health elixir. Ironically enough, green tea and matcha are often used interchangeably. So, is green tea and matcha all the same? If not, which is the best drink for your longevity?

Matcha vs Green Tea

Yes, matcha and green tea do come from the same plant, but the main difference is how they are processed.

With green tea, the tea leaves are heated and then dried. However, with matcha, the same leaves are crushed into a powder, which is then used to make matcha tea. Therefore, since matcha contains the entire tea leaf, many people see it as the superior option as it is more concentrated, which is why it has a higher caffeine content and is often more expensive than green tea.

What are the benefits of green tea and matcha?

Photo by Laårk Boshoff on Unsplash

Packed with antioxidant power

We all know that antioxidants are exactly what we need if we want to fight off free radicals, which are compounds responsible for harming our health. Luckily for us, both matcha and green tea are packed with antioxidants, particularly catechins which have potent antioxidant properties.

The main, and incredibly powerful, catechin is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). According to research, EGCG has been found to help fight inflammation, possess cardioprotective properties as well as potentially promote DNA repair.

So, which of the two drinks will give you a bigger antioxidant boost? Well, according to research, matcha contains at least 3 times the amount of EGCG as popular varieties of green tea and this is because it uses the entire tea leaf.

Protect your heart health

Considering that heart disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, you might want to do your heart a favor and drink more green tea or matcha.

According to an umbrella review that delved into the relationship between tea intake and heart health, the consistent intake of tea (particularly green tea and black tea) at levels around 2cups per day seems to have the potential to decrease CVD risk and progression. These findings are mainly attributed to the antioxidants found in green tea, which we know are in even higher amounts in matcha.

One animal study found that green tea helped to combat obesity and health risks in mice. A human study also found that green tea supplements helped alter body weight in obese individuals.

In regards to matcha, one study found that individuals who consumed a matcha drink before a brisk walk ended up experiencing improved fat burning during that walk.

With all that said, there is no magic elixir when it comes to weight management. Therefore, if you really want to make a difference, then you need to consume a healthy and balanced diet and stay active.

Can calm you down

While longer studies are definitely needed, research has found that green tea may help to alleviate stress and anxiety in people. In regards to matcha, studies have also found that the drink possesses stress-relieving properties.

So, which is the best drink to start your day with?

Both green tea and matcha have amazing benefits for the body, with matcha containing more of the beneficial nutrients as a result of the brewing process.

However, this also means that matcha contains more caffeine than green tea, and this may not be as appealing to everyone.

Regardless, whether you’re starting your day off with matcha or green tea, just know that you’ll be doing your body and health a favor.

References

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Eunhee Chung, Salvatore N. Campise, Hayli E. Joiner, Michael D. Tomison, Gurvinder Kaur, Jannette M. Dufour, Lillian Cole, Latha Ramalingam, Naima Moustaid-Moussa, Chwan-Li Shen. Effect of annatto-extracted tocotrienols and green tea polyphenols on glucose homeostasis and skeletal muscle metabolism in obese male mice. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2019; 67: 36 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2019.01.021

Cui, Y., Wang, Y., & Liu, G. (2021). Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) attenuates myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by transverse aortic constriction via inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway. Pharmaceutical biology, 59(1), 1305–1313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880209.2021.1972124

Keller, A., & Wallace, T. C. (2021). Tea intake and cardiovascular disease: an umbrella review. Annals of medicine, 53(1), 929–944. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2021.1933164

Lin, Y, Shi, D, Su, B, et al. The effect of green tea supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytotherapy Research. 2020; 34: 2459– 2470. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6697

Unno, K., Furushima, D., Hamamoto, S., Iguchi, K., Yamada, H., Morita, A., Horie, H., & Nakamura, Y. (2018). Stress-Reducing Function of Matcha Green Tea in Animal Experiments and Clinical Trials. Nutrients, 10(10), 1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101468

Williams, J.L., Everett, J.M., D’Cunha, N.M. et al. The Effects of Green Tea Amino Acid L-Theanine Consumption on the Ability to Manage Stress and Anxiety Levels: a Systematic Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 75, 12–23 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-019-00771-5

Willems, M. E. T., Şahin, M. A., & Cook, M. D. (2018). Matcha Green Tea Drinks Enhance Fat Oxidation During Brisk Walking in Females, International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 28(5), 536-541. Retrieved Mar 24, 2022, from https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/28/5/article-p536.xml

Zulkuf K., Muhammed., Cinar,I.,  et al. (2019). Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) exert therapeutic effect on acute inflammatory otitis media in rats, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, Volume 124, Pages 106-110, ISSN 0165-5876, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.05.012