Is matcha healthy?

By: Annie Sneed

Q: Is matcha healthy?

If you walk into any coffee shop or health food store, you're almost guaranteed to find this powdered, jade-green tea. It's blended into lattes, milkshakes, sodas, hot chocolate, smoothies, and even desserts like ice cream and brownies. Many recommend it as a superfood packed with antioxidants that can prevent cancer, improve memory, and reduce stress and anxiety. That's enough to convince almost anyone to drink this tea, but does it really do everything they claim?

What is matcha?

Matcha is a type of powdered green tea commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and has become popular in the United States and other parts of the world. It is obtained from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) as other caffeinated teas and is cultivated in an unusual way: the tea plant is protected from excessive sunlight for most of its growing season so that it can produce more amino acids and bioactive compounds, such as chlorophyll and theanine. Once the leaves are harvested, they are ground into a fine powder.

Does matcha have health benefits?

While other green tea leaves are typically steeped whole in hot water, “matcha is much more concentrated in terms of ingredients because it’s made from ground whole tea leaves,” said Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology and head of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

And while research on its health benefits is inconclusive, experts say this type of green tea contains large amounts of potentially beneficial compounds.

Antioxidants. “As we age or are exposed to environmental factors, such as ultraviolet light or carcinogens, we end up with reactive oxygen species that damage our cell membranes,” explains Jamie Alan, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.

Antioxidants, which are abundant in matcha, are substances that “neutralize” these harmful molecules, Alan explained, and prevent “a whole series of subsequent harmful events.” So, in theory, this tea may help protect the body's cells from damage and reduce the risk of certain health problems like heart disease or cancer, Hu and Alan said, although this hasn't been proven.

L-theanine. This unique amino acid, found in both green tea and certain mushrooms, is another component of matcha that experts highlight as possibly beneficial to health. However, according to Hu, there isn't much evidence to support this claim. Some small placebo-controlled trials have suggested that L-theanine may improve cognitive performance and reduce stress. But both experts noted that only animal studies have been conducted, and very few trials with small human samples.

Caffeine. While most people don't think about the health effects of caffeine while sipping their morning coffee, the evidence for its health benefits is quite strong, Hu said. Studies have found, for example, that caffeine can boost cognitive function and alertness, as well as speed up metabolism. Hu also says that regular consumption of coffee—the leading source of caffeine for adults in the United States—is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and age-related cognitive decline.

So is matcha healthy?

Few studies focus specifically on how matcha might benefit health, so it's difficult to say for sure. However, scientists are fairly familiar with the benefits of green tea. “ There's a lot of research on green tea, and overall, the evidence suggests it's a healthy beverage,” Hu said. “We don't have similar evidence for matcha, but since it contains the same ingredients as green tea, but in much higher concentrations,” he continued, we can likely deduce that it offers the same benefits.

Alan also emphasized that while matcha is generally safe, some people (including those who must limit their caffeine intake due to a health condition) may want to avoid it. “If you are prone to rapid heart rate or have heart disease, matcha can be harmful,” he warned. People sensitive to caffeine should also avoid it, as it can cause anxiety and disrupt sleep.

Overall, Hu commented, matcha can be a healthy addition to your diet, as long as you're mindful of the amount of sugar and other harmful ingredients it's paired with. The amount of sugar and cream people add to their daily coffee or tea "has gotten so high that it actually counteracts the health benefits," Hu said. And if you eat a lot of fast food or smoke cigarettes regularly, don't expect matcha to counteract those unhealthy choices.

“If you get into the habit of consuming matcha regularly, you might get some long-term health benefits,” Hu noted. “But if you just sprinkle a little matcha powder on chocolate ice cream, I don't think it'll do much.”