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Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking tea?

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:19 am
by adamt
I am going to start drinking Matcha Green Tea for the numerous health benefits, but green tea always makes me pee every 20-30 minutes for a few hours after drinking a cup

But i have seen Matcha green tea in 500mg capsule form , vegetarian capsules.

I would prefer to take 2 capsules a day instead of drink 2 cups of green tea
But will taking matcha green tea capsules give the same absorption/metabolism benefits as drinking in tea form?

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 12:50 pm
by NHE
Is it an extract or whole tea that's been put into a capsule?

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:28 pm
by adamt
it's a whole tea, the matcha tea powder put in a capsule

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:45 pm
by NHE
The book "Green Tea" by Nadine Taylor indicates that the average cup of green tea contains 50-100 mg of catechins. I would expect matcha to be on the high end of that range. Since matcha tea powder is consumed whole in the tea, I'm not sure how it would be different in strength if taken by capsule. You could make a comparison of the amount used for a cup of tea to the amount taken in capsules. I don't know if the capsules would have a different effect on your bladder. Note that if the capsules work out better for you, then you can buy empty capsules and a capsule filling device. These are usually available from natural foods markets or online and it might cost less over time filling your own with bulk matcha than buying prefilled capsules.

NHE

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:31 am
by adamt
i contacted the te seller , and in the pure matcha tea powder there is 105mg catechins,

Does anyone know if there is a difference in benefits/absorption if taken in capsule form instead of drinking it as hot tea?

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:48 pm
by NHE
adamt wrote:i contacted the te seller , and in the pure matcha tea powder there is 105mg catechins,

Does anyone know if there is a difference in benefits/absorption if taken in capsule form instead of drinking it as hot tea?
The only thing that I've read that might be related is that you can increase the absorption of antioxidants, e.g., EGCG, by adding some lemon juice to your tea. This is due to the ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Indeed, some green tea supplements now come with added ascorbic acid. I've read that the effect is about a 3x increase if you're a rat though a recent Dr. Oz episode stated that there was a 13x increase. At this time, I'm not sure what the real increase is in people.

NHE

Re: Matcha green tea- are capsules as effective as drinking

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:05 am
by jackD
NHE wrote:
adamt wrote:i contacted the te seller , and in the pure matcha tea powder there is 105mg catechins,

Does anyone know if there is a difference in benefits/absorption if taken in capsule form instead of drinking it as hot tea?
The only thing that I've read that might be related is that you can increase the absorption of antioxidants, e.g., EGCG, by adding some lemon juice to your tea. This is due to the ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Indeed, some green tea supplements now come with added ascorbic acid. I've read that the effect is about a 3x increase if you're a rat though a recent Dr. Oz episode stated that there was a 13x increase. At this time, I'm not sure what the real increase is in people.

NHE
I would like to add that adding milk to tea destroys all the benefits of the flavonoids/antioxdants they contain.

I just found this info in a new study today that mentioned this.

jackD