Is Matcha Good for You?

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Who cares how much nutrition is extracted from tea leaves, though, if you eat the leaves themselves? We know that drinking tea is good for you; what about eating it? Matcha, powdered green tea; invented in China about a thousand years ago, transplanted to Japan. Whole leaves of tea milled into fine powder; you dump a spoonful in water, and then drink the whole thing down.

Now, it sounds like a good idea. Why waste nutrition throwing away tea leaves when you’re done, when you can drink them whole? Or, were tea leaves just not meant to be eaten? Powdered green tea leaves: harmful, harmless, or helpful?

Super helpful! And easy. Carry around little packets of matcha with you wherever you go, and just dump them in your water bottle. You add zero calories at the same time you’re adding whopping loads of nutrition. I carry them around wherever I go. Never leave home without it.

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• E. Venditti, T. Bacchetti, L. Tiano, P. Carloni, L. Greci, and E. Damiani. Hot vs. cold water steeping of different teas: Do they affect antioxidant activity? Food Chem., 119(4):1597-1604, 2010.
• Kobe J. Med. Sci., Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. E62-E72, 2008 . Effect of Ground Green Tea Drinking for 2 Weeks on the Susceptibility of Plasma and LDL to the Oxidation ex vivo in Healthy Volunteers. Syuzou Gomikawa, Yuichi Ishikawa, Wakako Hayase, Yuko Haratake, Namiko Hirano, Hiromi Matuura, Akiyo Mizowaki, Akiko Murakami, Mao Yamamoto.

• Asia
• beverages
• green tea
• Japan
• matcha
• tea