Matcha tea can reduce sneezing in allergy sufferers

A study in mice suggests that green tea powder, popularly known as matcha tea, could reduce the urge to sneeze in people with nasal allergies.

Matcha is a bright green powder made from cultivated green tea leaves especially, dried and ground. It is used both to prepare tea and to flavor a wide range of products.

According to Europa Press, previous research has shown that this tea contains high levels of biologically active compoundssuch as antioxidants and amino acids, and their use is related to various health benefits, such as improving heart and brain function and the reduction of inflammation.

Professor Osamu Kaminuma, from the Research Institute of Radiation Biology and Medicine at Hiroshima University, Japan, was particularly interested in the effects of matcha on people with allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever. “Human studies suggest that green tea may relieve allergic rhinitis, but it is not clear how it works,” says Kaminuma.

three times a week

In his study, published in the journal npj Science of FoodKaminuma and colleagues report that mice engineered to experience hay fever symptoms were given matcha tea 2 or 3 times a week for more than five weeks and an additional dose of tea 30 minutes before being exposed to an allergen that would trigger their allergic rhinitis symptoms.

The team discovered that the mice sneezed much less than expected with matcha treatment, but perhaps more interesting was the finding that matcha did not appear to have any effect on immunoglobulin E (IgE), mast cell, and T cell-dependent allergic responses.

IgE antibodies that bind to mast cells are essential in allergic reactionstriggering the release of histamine and other inflammatory chemicals. Mast cells drive the initial phase of the allergic response, while T lymphocytes orchestrate long-term immune processes, including IgE production.

Oral matcha reduced sneezing without significantly altering the main immune markers. Instead, it significantly suppressed brainstem neuronal activation related to the sneeze reflex, Kaminuma explains.

The group analyzed the activity of a gene called c-Fos – an indicator of neurological and behavioral responses to an intense stimulus, such as exposure to a hay fever allergen – in the caudal nucleus of the ventral spinal trigeminal nerve, the brain region involved in sneezing. They found that when mice experienced hay fever, expression of the c-Fos gene increased, but treatment with matcha reduced expression levels almost to normal.

The next step is to study whether these effects also occur in humans. “The goal is a science-backed, food-based option that complements standard treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms,” Kaminuma said.