By: James Whittle
Matcha is green tea, in fact, it is more potent that “regular” green tea because it is grown and harvested in a certain way that increases the nutritional content of the tea leaf. Matcha has been shown to be very superior in catechin content to other green teas. Catechins are potent anti-oxidants and contribute to the vast array of the health benefits of green tea.
Green tea has been studied extensively for potential weight loss benefits. Green tea’s weight loss benefits are a result of several mechanisms, many of which involve catechins.
Matcha can increase metabolism, help lower blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance, and inhibit certain enzymes which are required for the processing of carbohydrates and fats.
Matcha has also has been shown to lower LDL levels (“bad” cholesterol) as well as triglyceride levels.
In a study conducted at Birmingham University in Britain, it was demonstrated that average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after ingestion of green tea than after ingestion of a placebo.[1] Similarly the contribution of fat oxidation to total energy expenditure was also significantly higher by a similar percentage following ingestion of green tea.
The study implies that ingestion of green tea can improve fat oxidation, insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in humans.
While there is caffeine in matcha, we here at Living Qi call it “the healthy caffeine” because it is absorbed differently than caffeine in other substances such as coffee. Caffeine in matcha binds to the larger catechin molecules, which are also powerful antioxidants, and is released into the bloodstream slowly over time.
As your body assimilates the catechin molecules, the caffeine is slowly absorbed. In this way, the catechins act as carrier molecules for caffeine and the caffeine may play a role in the healthy absorption of the catechin anti-oxidants. The caffeine in matcha therefore is ‘time-released.’
Smaller dosages of caffeine released over longer periods of time can provide sustained energy for up to 6 to 8 hours. The caffeine in coffee can hit you like a freight train causing coffee jitters and spikes in your adrenaline and cortisol levels (stress hormones). After the adrenaline and cortisol spike, people often feel a low blood sugar depression. These negative affects are not only avoided with matcha, but another component in matcha, L-theanine, also acts as an antidote to the adrenaline and cortisol effects of caffeine. The result? Matcha helps reduce stress hormones in your blood stream while also giving you energy.
Since L-theanine is calming and helps put the brain into alpha state, the result of drinking matcha is a dynamic state of feeling totally alert and focused but deeply grounded and relaxed at the same time. Interestingly, caffeine has also been shown to burn fat[2].
Green tea is also useful to regulate blood sugar and normalize blood glucose and many people with diabetes are using matcha green tea to help regulate their blood glucose levels.
One way matcha does this is by slowing the action of a particular digestive enzyme called amylase. Amylase breaks down starches (carbs), that cause blood sugar levels to rise following a meal.[3]
Matcha can also increase your metabolism and thereby help you lose weight, causing calories to burn quicker.[4] Another recent study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, indicated the ingestion of a tea rich in catechins, leads to both a lowering of adipose (fat) and of cholesterol levels.[5] Matcha has higher levels of catechins than any other tea.
Additionally, green tea may inhibit fatty acid synthase. Fatty acid synthase is an enzymatic system that is involved in the process of turning carbohydrates into fat. Early animal studies suggest the inhibition of fatty acid synthase can lead to dramatic weight loss.[6-9]
There is also recent evidence that consuming green tea high in catechins (matcha) reduces cardiovascular risks in addition to reducing body fat.
To order the finest organic matcha green tea in the world at an affordable price just click here.
James Whittle is a healer, a practitioner of energy medicine, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine: www.blueridgeclinic.com, a sought after speaker in alternative and complementary medicine, a writer, and the founder of two companies: for the finest organic matcha green tea in the world visit: www.living-qi.com, to learn about losing weight with Chinese medicine and controlling blood sugar and sugar cravings visit: www.tcmnutra.com
©James Whittle, All Rights Reserved, 2009.
1. “Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans”. Vol. 87, No. 3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. March 2008. 778-784.
2. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97).
3. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Sep;84(3):551-5).
4. Am J of Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5)
5. Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129)
6. Life Sci. 2004 Mar 26;74(19):2389-99
7. Int J Cancer. 2003 Oct 10;106(6):856-62
8. Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2006 Jan;43(Pt 1):1-7
9. Curr Med Chem. 2006;13(8):967-77).
10. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jun;15(6):1473-83).
More studies of green tea’s (matcha’s) effectiveness for fat burning and weight loss:
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87
Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129
Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2000 Feb;24(2):252-8
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5
Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1195-204)
