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‘I’m a Longevity and Anti-Aging Expert, and This Is My Hot Drink of Choice’

Allie Flinn

December 24, 2021

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Photo: Getty Images/Henrik Ruski/EyeEm

Longevity isn't about living as long as you possibly can—it's about having a high quality of life throughout old age. And one of the best ways to improve longevity is through what you eat and drink. Dr. David Sinclair, PhD, Harvard professor of anti-aging and author of Lifespan, recently took to Instagram to share his hot drink of choice: matcha. Matcha is made by grinding green tea leaves into a powder, and it's been served in Japan, China, and Korea since the 12th century. Dr. Sinclair credits being recently turned onto matcha and its longevity-boosting benefits by nutritionist Serena Poon.

The link between matcha and longevity lies within the tea's abundance of antioxidants, but Dr. Sinclair says that that's not even the best superpower of the tea. "One of the healthiest drinks in the world is matcha. But not because of the antioxidants. It’s because of special plant molecules we’ve named xenohormetins, made when plants are grown in adverse conditions," he says in his Instagram post. "When we ingest them, they turn up our survival defenses that fight against disease and aging." Matcha is grown in the shade, which stresses the plants out and causes them to make active compounds, Dr. Sinclair explains.

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A post shared by David Sinclair (@davidsinclairphd)

Drinking matcha has many health benefits. It helps protect kidneys, improve memory, and decrease inflammation. Matcha also has a high concentration of a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC). "The concentration of EGCG from matcha is 137 times greater than China Green Tips green tea and greater than three times higher than the largest literature value for other green teas," Dr. Sinclair says. EGCG helps prevent cell damage and slow down aging.

In summary: "Matcha is now my hot drink of choice," says Dr. Sinclair. Perhaps it will be yours, too.

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