A randomized, double-blinded study evaluating effect of matcha green tea on human fecal microbiota

So Morishima; Yuki Kawada; Yoichi Fukushima; Tomohisa Takagi; Yuji Naito; Ryo Inoue

doi:10.3164/jcbn.22-81

A randomized, double-blinded study evaluating effect of matcha green tea on human fecal microbiota

J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2023 Mar;72(2):165-170. doi: 10.3164/jcbn.22-81. Epub 2022 Nov 23.

Authors

So Morishima^{1

2}, Yuki Kawada², Yoichi Fukushima^{3

4}, Tomohisa Takagi^{5

6}, Yuji Naito⁷, Ryo Inoue^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Animal Science, Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Setsunan University, Nagaotoge-cho 45-1, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0101, Japan.
² Laboratory of Animal Science, Kyoto Prefectural University, 1-5 Hangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8522, Japan.
³ Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Daito Bunka University, 560 Iwadono, Higashimatsuyama, Saitama 355-8681, Japan.
⁴ Nestlé Japan Ltd., Tennoz Ocean Square, 2-2-20 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002, Japan.
⁵ Department of Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
⁶ Department for Medical Innovation and Translational Medical Science, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
⁷ Department of Human Immunology and Nutrition Science, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.

Abstract

Matcha green tea is made from powdered green tea leaves. Unlike regular green tea, Matcha green tea is believed to exert beneficial effects on the gut microbiota, as it is richer in nutrients such as tea catechins and insoluble dietary fiber. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of consumption of Matcha green tea on the gut microbiota. Human participants were randomly assigned to a placebo (n = 16) or a Matcha green tea (n = 17) drink group and asked to drink the treatments for two weeks. Feces were collected from the participants pre- and post-treatment and fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. The beta-diversity of microbial composition significantly (p<0.05) changed in MGT group but not in placebo group. In addition, the number of unique bacterial genera significantly (p<0.05) changed in the Matcha green tea group was 30, while it was only 3 in the Placebo group. Increase and decrease in abundances of Coprococcus and Fusobacterium, respectively, in the gut microbiota of Matcha green tea group, conferred potential health benefits to the host. The present study was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000043857).

Keywords: Coprococcus; Fusobacterium; Matcha green tea; gut microbiota.