Matcha green tea is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C and E, magnesium and potassium. It also contains bioactive compounds such as theanine and catechins. Theanine is an amino acid that helps to relax the mind. Catechins are polyphenols and suppress inflammation in the body and prevent cell damage.
As dementia rates continue to rise worldwide, scientists are constantly exploring ways to improve our cognitive health. As part of this effort, researchers from Japan are in the spotlight matcha green tea to learn whether these features may provide cognitive benefits.
A study on matcha tea and brain function
99 people participated in the new study over 12 months. Participants were between 60 and 85 years old. Of these, 64 reported subjective cognitive impairment and 35 reported mild cognitive impairment. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: one received 2 grams of green tea via capsule daily, and the other received a placebo.
The researchers conducted cognitive assessments at the beginning, end and 6 months after the end of the study. They also looked at the participants’ neuropsychological status, memory, executive function, attention, social acuity and sleep quality.
In addition, they performed neuroimaging at the beginning and end of the study to check the levels of gray and white matter in the participants’ brains.
Although the matcha-treated participants did not show a significant improvement in memory or executive function compared to the placebo group, there were improvements in sleep and social acuity, the scientists believed that the theanine in matcha contributed to the participants’ improved quality of life ‘ sleep.
With this in mind poor sleep can negatively affect memory and is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, the results of the study may be useful for people concerned about the quality of their rest.
In terms of social acuity, the researchers found promising improvements in facial expression recognition and word meaning understanding.
Scientists explain that poor social communication is an early indicator of dementia, and the social difficulties it creates are especially stressful for sufferers.
Matcha for better brain health and better quality sleep
“Macha sees green tea can support cognitive health. The high theanine content is likely the key to the sleep benefits seen in this study. Theanine reduces stress, allowing for deeper sleep — important for memory and attention, especially as we age,” the researchers said.
“Catechins in tea may be responsible for the group’s social acuity by reducing inflammation in the brain and stimulating new neural connections. “However, matcha targets specific cognitive domains as broader cognitive tests show no changes,” they said.
“More research and more sensitive neuropsychological tests and biomarker analyzes are needed to confirm the exact effects of matcha on mild cognitive impairment,” they said.