2016 is the year of matcha! If you don’t already know, matcha is a vibrant green powder made from ground Japanese tea leaves. Just a little bit of the green tea varietal will turn whatever you add it to as green as the rainforest. But the best part about matcha is that it contains up to 10x the amount of antioxidants as your regular cup of green tea. That means you are exposed to all the benefits green tea offers, including weight loss, decreased anxiety, and the potential to stop cancer. But another one of the health benefits of matcha has been uncovered.
New Study Shows Memory Benefits of Green Tea
Recent research from the University of Basel in Switzerland hints at another benefit of green tea. A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology gives evidence that green tea can enhance cognitive functions, including working memory. This is great news for those who have a lot on their minds during the workday.
Basically, the study handed a healthy group of male volunteers a soft drink with green tea extract and had them work on memory tasks. Scientists monitored their neural activity with an MRI and tested it against a placebo.
Researchers are optimistic about the results. Brain activity in the frontal lobe (responsible for critical thinking) and parietal lobe (monitors sensory input) of the brain followed a totally different pattern when under the influence of green tea.
These two lobes worked in greater harmony after imbibing green tea, leading to a boost in the neural juice that strengthens memory. With further research, it might even be used to help reverse some of the consequences of dementia.
Good News For Matcha Drinkers?
There’s just one caveat to the study: participants only saw a boost in memory power once they had drunk the equivalent of 3 or more cups of green tea. That’s not practical for everyone, plus it would have you running to the bathroom all day.
That’s why matcha is so awesome. Green tea is usually steeped in boiling liquid, which leaves most of the nutrients behind in the teabag. Matcha is ground from the entire plant, and is dissolved right in your beverage. That means you get all of the phytonutrients in a much more concentrated form.
The great taste and brilliant color are just added benefits.
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