Milk and Green Tea Recipe
You may have seen or heard this before:
"You shouldn’t mix milk with green tea as milk proteins bind with green tea antioxidants and negate the green tea health benefits."
This is what we once believed to be true. But recent studies have discovered that "binding" is not "canceling" the benefits; rather, the new discoveries show positive phenomena.
Benefit 1: Milk Proteins May Enhance Bioavailability of Catechins
Although Catechins are powerful as you have read in our previous newsletter, the bioavailability of Catechins is poor. Ongoing studies are discovering ways to enhance Catechin's bioavailability.
>> Learn More: Can Kids Drink Green Tea?
Recent studies have revealed more about the positive outcome of "binding" activities, and science now tells us that milk proteins help to enhance the bioavailability of Catechins:
"Milk proteins, containing caseins and whey proteins, were considered as ideal carriers for delivering catechins. Sodium caseinate adsorbed at the oil water interface can load high ratios of EGCG. Casein micelles can be used as protective carriers for EGCG in foods. It was demonstrated that nanoencapsulation of EGCG in casein micelles did not diminish antiproliferative activity of the catechins on colon cancer cells, compared with free form EGCG. Accordingly, casein micelle is considered to be an ideal platform for catechin delivery while the binding of caseins with EGCG would not affect the bioaccessibility of EGCG."
The above quotation was taken from this scientific report.
Benefit 2: Milk Proteins May Extend the Benefits
Japanese researchers found the benefits of EGCG lasted longer when EGCG was taken with milk proteins than when EGCG was taken by itself. Here are the results of the study:
Fig. 17 shows Green Tea Catechins decrease blood pressure and its peak is 2 hours after the intake. Milk protein also decreased blood pressure and its peak was 2-4 hours. When they were taken together, the level of effect was about the same as Catechin itself, but it was prolonged for 8 hours. A significant benefit.
Fig. 18 shows The same prolonged effect was observed when Green Tea Catechins and Powdered fat-free milk were taken together.
This study also mentions whey showed a better effect than casein in terms of the extending effect. 80% of milk protein in casein and 20% is whey. When you buy yogurt, often you see the watery liquid at the top - that is whey.
Delicious Matcha/Sencha Latte
Milk is naturally sweet so you may not need to add any sweetener. If you are looking for a replacement for refined sugar, I recommend you try real Maple syrup. Maple syrup’s woody flavor goes well with green tea. Maple syrup provides a decent amount of some minerals, especially manganese and zinc. Pure maple syrup contains less sugar and less fructose than honey. It is also lower on the glycemic index than honey is. However, please keep in mind moderation is always the key! For more on this, also see our green tea sweetening guide.
Here's my favorite recipe to make a latte with either Yu Ceremonial Grade Matcha or Yu Sencha:
