Matcha Green Tea and Cardiometabolic Health

Abstract

Matcha green tea had attracted interest as a functional beverage, but its cardiometabolic benefits had often been inferred from studies of conventional green tea or concentrated catechins. This narrative review evaluated matcha-specific human findings alongside the broader tea literature to clarify their clinical relevance. Publications addressing composition, metabolic outcomes, vascular function, liver health, microbiota, and safety were synthesized thematically, with direct matcha evidence distinguished from indirect evidence. Small human studies reported increased fat oxidation during exercise and altered gut microbial composition. However, these findings did not establish sustained weight loss or prevention of metabolic disease. Broader green tea trials and meta-analyses suggested modest improvements in selected lipid, glucose, and blood-pressure markers, but differences in formulations and populations limited extrapolation to matcha. No direct cardiovascular outcome evidence was established in the reviewed matcha literature. Concentrated catechin supplements also differed from traditional beverages and had been associated with liver enzyme elevations at high exposures. Overall, the evidence supported matcha as a possible component of a healthy dietary pattern rather than an established treatment for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or cardiovascular disease. Standardized, adequately powered, longer-term randomized trials were needed to determine whether its biological effects translated into clinically meaningful benefits.