Matcha for Athletes

First up, let’s hear from Olympic volleyball player and Tenzo sponsored athlete, Dustin Watten. 

“2020 has been the year of the mindful athlete, as more and more athletes commit time towards meditation, visualization, journaling, and reflecting outside of training. These mindful athletes are relentlessly pursuing better ways to fuel and recover, with the biggest change being the quality of their caffeine. And, ceremonial grade matcha is leading the way.”

- Dustin Watten, Team USA

Now, onto the science side of things. Matcha is considered to be a superfood because it’s extremely nutrient-dense and loaded with special nutrients and antioxidants. In addition to providing a sustained boost of caffeine, matcha also bolsters your immune system, balances gut health, and catalyzes your digestive system. It is true that similar benefits can be experienced by drinking green tea, but matcha is much more powerful than your average bag of green tea. Matcha is made by grinding up the entire green tea plant leaf. This gives matcha a leg up over regular green tea because it ensures that matcha is more potent and provides the beverage with some extra fiber. And, instead of steeping a couple of tea leaves for a few minutes, you’re actually mixing the matcha powder into your drink. For athletes on the go, and anyone really, matcha just makes sense. 

Like many superfoods, matcha is loaded with essential nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. But, there’s one thing in particular that really makes matcha a star, catechins. More specifically, the catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).

Studies have shown the EGCG improves fat utilization and increases oxygen uptake without changing cardiac output. Which is really just a fancy way of saying that the EGCG found in matcha improves performance by enhancing the muscle's ability to extract oxygen.  

It comes as no surprise that matcha contains caffeine. Due to its increased potency, matcha contains much more caffeine than regular green tea. If you’re thinking, “Well, I could just drink coffee,” think again. Matcha’s ability to provide the body with caffeine is certainly not special, but its delivery system sure is. Thanks to the special composition of amino acids, matcha delivers caffeine in a long, sustained stream. The amino acid L-theanine binds with caffeine molecules and slows their entry into the blood. This eliminates those pesky coffee jitters and ensures that you have the energy for hours. This is crucial for any athlete looking to perform at their peak for any period of time. 

L-theanine is a superstar. In addition to slowing down the body’s absorption of caffeine, it also helps to improve concentration and reduce stress. The release of cortisol, or the stress hormone, can be triggered by many different things, one among them being caffeine. 

Matcha is what we call an "anti-cortisol". It reduces stress and helps stabilize blood sugar. And, as a result, it increases physical and mental stamina. Thus protecting the body from the harmful side effects of a stress-filled existence. A mind plagued by stress isn’t at its best and you can’t be either. Athletes who drink matcha experience a stress-free energy boost and greater mental clarity. 

As just one of its many duties as a superfood, matcha helps improve the function of your immune system. Another nutrient superstar, EGCG, the special catechin found in matcha, binds to cells in the body and prevents the growth of many disease-causing viruses and bacteria. Matcha also acts as an inflammatory supplement that prevents your body from over-reacting to potential injuries or afflictions and over-exerting itself, in an attempt to fix them. 

5. IMPROVES RECOVERY

Matcha could help you recover after a difficult workout. We’ve already mentioned EGCG several times as a mechanism to boost the immune system and improve performance, but that’s not all that it does. In addition to these wonderful properties, EGCG also has some healing capabilities. Studies have also shown that EGCG can help prevent muscle wasting, and therefore recovery, after intense exercise. So, if you want to recover better and faster, matcha is your best friend. 

Although this doesn’t have a direct relation to the health of your body or its performance, it’s worth mentioning. Even with a Blender Bottle, anyone who has tried knows that mixing a supplement or protein powder into a drink is no easy task. You could shake it like a polaroid picture all day long, and there would still be some powdery bits floating around the bottom of your beverage. But, luckily with matcha, that is not the case. It has a naturally pleasant taste and blends seamlessly in many different drinks and foods. So, instead of sitting on the sidelines desperately trying to mix in some pre-workout or chugging a protein drink only to find that you need to chew the last sip, you can just mix matcha, and enjoy it. 

The catechins found in green tea likely play a greater role in the effects of fat burning than its caffeine content. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology in March that tested the effects of green tea extract on the endurance and oxidation of fats found that continued usage over 10 weeks led to an increase in the endurance of 8 to 24%. This study also discovered that supplementation with green tea extract favored the increased use of fat as a source of energy. Which is really just a fancy way of saying that green tea gets it done. And, if you remember from our little spiel, in the beginning, matcha is much more potent than green tea. Drinking matcha will have significant effects on your endurance. 

Matcha for Athletes… And Everyone Else 

Matcha is great for athletes, but it’s also great for those of us who dread going to the gym or feel most comfortable behind a screen. Although all the wonderful properties matcha possesses are certainly appreciated by athletes of all different types, they’re just as beneficial for the average Joe. 

However, not all matcha is created equal. Many folks have found that, in their quest to enrich their routines with matcha, they have stumbled upon some less-than-great quality matcha powders. If you want to learn a little more about what makes some matcha better than others, you can check out our blog here. A good way to determine the quality of matcha is the color. If it’s grey and dingy, like in the above photo on the left, kick to the curb. But, if it’s vibrant and green, like our stuff on the right, you’re in the clear. When you grab Tenzo matcha, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the product. Our matcha is carefully selected and sourced to represent our own values of quality and reliability. It’s handled delicately from the moment the plant breaks through the soil. 

Our Sources: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29345213/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27634207/

https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/4/483/htm

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.