Why is matcha green tea good for your mood?

Par Jimmy BRAUN

Bienfaits / Effets sur la Santé

Mood is a specific feeling or state of mind that a person experiences at a given moment.

This emotional state is therefore subject to various disturbances and also varies depending on temperament or personality traits.

Although mood is a subjective internal state that can sometimes be difficult to control, it can be edited through certain exercises and simple daily routines.

Among the tips for editing your mood, several studies reveal the effectiveness of physical exercise, music, or mindfulness meditation.

In addition, diet plays an essential role in curbing our bad moods, and matcha is a key ingredient.

We are what we eat.

Anyone can experience mood disorders, and there are many causes.

One of the keys may lie in nutrition, being directly linked to nutritional deficiencies, the way we eat, our hydration, and age.

This is where matcha green tea comes in and can become a powerful ally in ensuring our daily wellbeing.

Indeed, researchers confirm the relaxation and invigorating qualities of a cup of matcha green tea. It can improve mood, enhance focus, and may even prevent depression and dementia.

The intense colour and aroma of matcha lift the spirits, and several bioactive compounds, which act on the metabolism, contribute to a state of wellbeing for several hours after consumption.

Matcha has relaxing and invigorating qualities.

For centuries, people around the world have attested to the relaxation and invigorating qualities of tea.

The traditional calming effects of the Camellia sinensis plant have elevated this beverage, which is produced from its leaves, to a role that goes far beyond quenching thirst.

Matcha green tea is drunk as a help for meditation, to calm the nerves, or simply to relax. But while the mental health benefits of the Camellia sinensis plant are well known to tea drinkers, scientists are only just beginning to examine how tea affects mood and cognition.

Researchers have discovered, for example, that drinking green tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol (a steroid hormone secreted by the brain). Evidence of long-term health benefits is also emerging. They confirmed that drinking about half a cup of green tea per day (at least 100 ml) appears to reduce the risk of developing depression and dementia.

Scientists are also trying to identify the main active compounds that give matcha green tea its mental health benefits, and whether they work alone or in combination with other compounds in the drink.

Matcha green tea catechins, antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), account for up to 42% of dry weight, and the amino acid L-theanine accounts for approximately 3%.

EGCG is believed to make people calm and improve memory and attention when consumed alone.

L-theanine has a similar effect when consumed in combination with caffeine. Up to 5% of the dry weight of green tea is caffeine, known to improve mood, alertness, and cognition.

Matcha improves mood

It should be noted that the effect of matcha green tea on behavior is slightly paradoxical, as the tea is both calming and alerting at the same time. It is this paradox that makes Japanese matcha a flagship beverage.

Explorations into the effects of tea on behavior and mental health come at a time of growing scientific interest in the role of nutrition in mental health and preventive medicine.

Healthcare professionals need more tools to combat anxiety, depression, and age-related cognitive decline. These conditions place a huge burden on healthcare systems around the world, and treatment options are limited.

The idea that food agents such as matcha may help slow decline could have enormous implications for preventive health.

Of course, caution should be exercised regarding the benefits of tea, especially in clinically depressed individuals, where it is important not to overestimate its effects.

Matcha helps you improve your wellbeing.

Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and surprisingly little is known about its effects on human behavior.

Much of the available evidence comes from epidemiological studies, which generally show a positive effect on mood and cognitive function. For example, some studies report that people who regularly drink green tea are 21% less likely to develop depression during their lifetime than those who do not drink it.

Other epidemiological studies suggest that long-term regular consumption of green tea may reduce the risk of dementia. For example, a study of people over 55 in Singapore found that those who drank at least one cup of tea per week performed better on certain tasks related to information processing and memory.

Of course, epidemiological studies have limitations, and other factors related to lifestyle or genetics could be responsible for the positive results.

However, numerous studies show that something unprecedented is happening with matcha green tea. It should be noted, however, that one possible confounding factor is that the process of preparing and consuming the tea has an effect, but not the tea itself.

Also, tea is frequently consumed in conditions conducive to relaxation, which may themselves be responsible for the apparent benefits. The matcha green tea ritual can therefore improve our mood thanks to its bioactive effects as well as the way it is consumed.

Other research also shows that matcha green tea helps people recover more quickly from stressful tasks by reducing saliva levels of the stress hormone (cortisol).

Matcha stimulates our brain

Amidst studies on tea, some researchers are also interested in looking at which compounds give green tea its beneficial properties..

Thus, tests of the main components (L-theanine and EGCG) suggest that they contribute both alone and in combination with caffeine.

Researchers reported that volunteers who consumed a nutritional drink containing 200 mg of L-theanine (approximately 8 cups of classic green tea) had lower cortisol levels. Participants reported feeling more relaxed after performing stress-inducing tasks than those who consumed a placebo.

Researchers also used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess changes in brain activity associated with drinking. People who are naturally more anxious showed an increase in low-frequency brain waves. These alpha brain waves are associated with relaxation and a lack of active cognitive processing.

According to them, L-theanine improves memory and reaction time when consumed with caffeine. They emphasize that the effect is greater than that of caffeine or L-theanine alone.

The contrasting effects of L-theanine reveal a relaxed state of mind. A meditative state is achieved, allowing for increased concentration and focus.

This compound could also affect brain chemistry in several ways. L-theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier and could therefore directly benefit brain plasticity, the process by which the brain regenerates itself.

The other major component of matcha green tea, EGCG, also appears to contribute to the drink's mental health benefits. Studies show that EGCG increases brain activity across all bandwidths (alpha waves, theta waves, beta waves), which are associated with calm alertness and increased focus and attention.

Finally, even though research on the mental health benefits of tea is intensifying and still requires further evidence, there is no reason not to encourage healthy people to drink organic matcha green tea to improve their mood and focus. Remember that the best time to consume it is in the morning or before physical exercise or meditation.

In conclusion, consuming matcha green tea can complement or even replace the stimulating effects of physical exercise or meditation. Matcha can therefore become a key ingredient in your daily routine of healthy habits.

=> Discover our collection of matcha tea.

Written by Jimmy Braun - December 2019