Is Matcha Good For PCOS?

Is Matcha Good For PCOS?

Is Matcha Good For PCOS?

If you’ve been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you might be wondering what you can incorporate into your diet to help manage your symptoms. If so, you’ve come to the right place!

On the blog and podcast, we talk a lot about the foods, herbs, and even drinks like kombucha and spearmint tea, that can help you get control of your PCOS symptoms and finally find some relief. With that in mind, today we’re discussing matcha!

Matcha is a type of green tea that is gaining popularity among tea connoisseurs and health enthusiasts alike, although it’s been around for centuries and is currently most popular in China and Japan. After centuries of cultivation in Asia and research along the way, it’s come to light that drinking matcha tea offers a ton of health benefits, including but not limited to, preventing weight gain, boosting heart health, reducing insulin resistance, and even fighting cancer.

If you’re looking to add a new beverage to your routine, stick around. Because today, we’re answering the question: is matcha good for PCOS?

Is Matcha Good For PCOS?

YES – matcha is great for PCOS. In fact, many types of tea are beneficial for managing PCOS symptoms! Matcha includes compounds similar to green tea like theanine (rare amino acid), chlorophyll, antioxidants, and a few types of catechins, but at higher concentrations. That means it’s even better for you than standard green tea!

The catechins inside matcha include epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin (EC), and epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG).

I’m sure all of that sounded like gibberish, but what you need to know is that the high levels of these compounds have potential health benefits for all people, but especially women living with PCOS. I will note, however, that matcha is not caffeine free. It includes natural caffeine at about 14 mg per cup, which isn’t significant if you’re not drinking it all day. To put it in perspective, a cup of coffee has between 80-100 mg of caffeine.

If you’re following my advice and cutting caffeine from your diet, don’t stress over your matcha intake as long as you’re limiting the amount you’re drinking. A cup or two a day isn’t going to put you in adrenal fatigue. The health benefits from matcha’s natural compounds far outweigh the small impact of the little natural caffeine it containers.

Here are some of the potential benefits of matcha for PCOS:

Matcha Benefits For PCOS

Boosts heart health.

Studies show that catechins and antioxidants can help prevent cardiovascular disease, which is a potential long-term complication of PCOS. These compounds have been found to potentially protect the heart muscles and prevent cardiac inflammation that could lead to heart disease. How cool?

Improves immune health.

PCOS has been shown to potentially lower a Cyster’s immune system. You can read more about polycystic ovarian syndrome’s effect on the immune system here. However, studies find that matcha and other green teas may have antiviral properties and help maintain good immune responses to infections. If you feel like you’re always sick, hopefully matcha can help bring you a little relief.

Reduces inflammation.

Chronic inflammation isn’t uncommon with PCOS, and it can cause symptoms like soreness, fatigue, mood swings, poor gut health, weight gain, and a lowered immune system. If you’re a Cyster, this all probably sounds familiar! Luckily, the catechins and antioxidants in matcha can help reduce inflammation. That means you could see symptom improvement, too!

Includes antioxidants.

Antioxidants have a number of benefits, one of the main ones being the fact that they fight free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules in your body that damage healthy cells and tissues. Environmental factors, stress, alcohol, smoking, and saturated fats can all make the production of free radicals worse. And, these free radicals can then lead to long-term complications like disease and cancer.

Antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, and more fight these free radicals. Match includes plenty of vitamin C to help you cleanse your body of those damaging unstable molecules.

Reduces insulin resistance and bad cholesterol.

Insulin resistant PCOS is one of the four types of polycystic ovarian syndrome. When you have insulin resistance, your body doesn’t process sugar properly. Instead of glucose and lipids being converted to energy, they’re absorbed in the body, raising your blood sugar and bad cholesterol. This causes symptoms like difficult weight loss, fatigue, cravings, and dark patches on the skin.

The catechins in matcha, however, can help stimulate proper sugar digestion to prevent the damaging absorption of glucose and lipids into the body. This is super helpful for regulating insulin levels, lowering blood sugar levels, and balancing cholesterol levels. Of course, that means these catechins can assist with better weight management and symptom relief.

Fights cancer.

Matcha has been found in studies to have anticarcinogenic effects, meaning it can help prevent and fight cancer. This is because of those catechin compounds, which can prevent tumor growth, fight free radicals, and stop the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. It’s amazing how smart food and drink choices can have such a positive effect on our health!

Matcha Tea For PCOS

Pique Tea Sun Goddess Matcha

Pique is my favorite brand of tea. They use a unique crystallization process that maintains the tea’s taste and health benefits, while also making it much easier to brew. Instead of dealing with steeping your own tea with all the right tools or using potentially toxic disposable plastic tea bags, you can just pour the powder Pique tea packets into hot or cold water. It’s the easiest way to enjoy tea!

If you decide to try some, use code THECYSTERHOOD for 5% off.

Full Leaf Tea Co. Organic Sweet Matcha Cinnamon

I like this Full Leaf Tea Co. matcha option, because it includes cinnamon as well. Like matcha, cinnamon has several PCOS benefits, so having a 2-in-1 tea is an awesome way to reap the positive effects of both match and cinnamon!

Full Leaf Tea Co. is a loose-leaf tea company, so you’ll have to brew the tea yourself. However, this is one of the best ways to get a high-quality cup of tea. Read the instructions on the bag and understand you may need to get a matcha making kit. And, if you’re not a fan of cinnamon flavor, you can get regular organic matcha from Full Leaf Tea Co too.

Art of Tea Matcha Fresca

Art of Tea has another high-quality matcha. The flavor of this one is curated to be a little less earthy and instead has a refreshing, melon-like taste. Technically, this one is also loose-leaf, however the instructions say you can just pour it in and shake. That makes this Art of Tea Matcha Fresca just as easy to make as Pique tea. That’s a big plus if you’re a new tea drinker!

Traditional Medicinals Green Tea Matcha

Though I don’t recommend pre-bagged tea due to the plastic, the lower quality flavor, and the reduced health benefits, I understand that convenience and cost is a significant factor for many women wanting to add tea to their diet. So, if pre-bagged tea works best for you, Traditional Medicinal is my recommended affordable, high-quality, pre-bagged tea brand!

Matcha has plenty of PCOS health benefits!

PCOS has no cure, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with the negative effects of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Naturally reversing your symptoms and healing your PCOS can be done using exercise, diet, lifestyle, and mindset changes. As far as diet goes, it’s not just about what you shouldn’t consume, but what you should consume. Matcha is one of those PCOS-fighting foods that can have lots of positive effects on your body. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

For more ways to heal your PCOS naturally, head over to the blog, download The Cysterhood App, and listen to my podcast. I share plenty of ways to get your symptoms under control and start living life to the fullest with PCOS!

This post was last modified on December 11, 2024 8:40 am