Maccha in the News

City Food Magazine

In the Summer, 2005 edition of CityFood magazine, they write, “Afficianados claim [maccha] offers a positive buzz which can last for up to 8 hours, and yet unlike what you’ll find in the bottom of a coffee pot, no jitters, gut rot or headaches. The lack of jitter factor is attributed to the presence of L-theanine, a chemical compound in green tea which creates alertness but also counters the caffeine stimulation of black (fermented) tea or coffee.
Office workers claim it helps them to relax and stay focused on the job. Plus, green tea has large quantities of polyphenols with antioxidant properties that may protect against several types of cancer. One type of polyphenol has yet to be discovered in any other plant and is apparently stronger than vitamins A and C. The beta-carotene factor is said to be nine times stronger than spinach and up to 70 times stronger than that of oranges. And okay, we might as well mention it,… if you’re constipated, it apparently will also move what ails you.”

New Scientist

An article in New Scientist magazine (20 March 2004) mentions that numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against a range of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer. The reason is the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), according to Hirofumi Tachibana’s team at Kyushu University in Japan. Their research showed that growth of human lung cancer cells that have a cell receptor
called 67 LR is slowed significantly after drinking just two or three cups of green tea, which contains EGCG. The research also showed that 67 LR is involved in the propagation of prion diseases such as mad cow disease in humans. So knowledge of EGCG’s effect on 67 LR might have implications in the treatment of these diseases too.
(Full report in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, DOI:10.1038/nsmb743).

University of Geneva

Clinical trials conducted by the University of Geneva in Switzerland indicate that green tea raises metabolic rates and speeds up fat oxidation. In addition to caffeine, green tea contains catechin polyphenols that raise thermogenesis (the rate at which calories are burned), and hence increases energy expenditure.

U.S. National Cancer Institute

According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, in laboratory studies using animals, catechins scavenged oxidants before cell damage occurred, reduced the number and size of tumors, and inhibited the growth of cancer cells. White tea is said to be even more effective. However, human studies have proven more contradictory, perhaps due to such factors as variances in diet, environments, and
populations.

Furthermore, there have also been numerous studies that attribute green tea to lowering LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and raising HDL levels.