Yerba Mate Review & Studies

Yerba Mate tea is an infusion made from the leaves of the tree Ilex paraguariensis. The mate tea is a widely consumed nonalcoholic beverage in South America, and is also gaining increased popularity around the world as well.

The indigenous people have used it for centuries as a social and medicinal beverage. Yerba Mate has been shown to be hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective, central nervous system stimulant, diuretic, and to benefit the cardiovascular system. It has also been suggested for obesity management. Yerba Mate protects DNA from oxidation and in vitro low-density lipoprotein lipoperoxidation and has a high antioxidant capacity. It has also been reported that Yerba Mate tea is associated with both the prevention and the cause of some types of cancers. Yerba Mate has gained public attention outside of South America, namely the United States and Europe, and research on this tea has been expanding. [3]

There are various clinical studies that have found Yerba Mate tea to have various health benefits including having antioxidant properties. Antioxidant activity of Yerba Mate tea was observed in vitro and in animal models. In a Brazilian study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo, the antioxidant effects of Yerba Mate tea on health young women was studied. The study results showed that after the supplementation period with Yerba mate tea, lipid peroxidation was acutely lowered, an effect that was maintained after prolonged administration. This study also found that total antioxidant status and the level of antioxidant enzyme gene expression were also demonstrated after prolonged consumption. They concluded that regular consumption of mate tea may increase antioxidant defense of the body by multiple mechanisms. [4]

Health Benefits of Yerba Mate

Aside from the antioxidant effects of Yerba Mate tea as mentioned above, other health benefits of Yerba Mate include:

• Yerba mate is anti-inflammatory effects
• It helps improve cognition and memory
• Yerba mate also shows some promise in treating obesity, and helping with weight loss

Short term cigarette smoke exposure has been associated with acute lung inflammation and oxidative damage. In a study done on Yerba mate tea and acute lung inflammation in mice exposed to cigarette smoke,  Yerba Mate tea (150mg/kg) was administered to the mice, and were then exposed to cigarette smoke for 5 days at a rate of 6 cigarettes per day. The results of this study found that the Yerba Mate tea reduced lipid peroxidation (a process whereby free radicals "steal" electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in cell damage). Their data shows that there is a potential antioxidant role for yerba mate tea on acute lung inflammation, and that it has anti-inflammatory potential; however, they also stated that further studies are needed to investigate these effects. [5]

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is used to prepare a tea like beverage, and it has a reputation of helping to improve cognitive function, a response that has been attributed to the constituents of the leaves, such as caffeine. Several studies have been done on lab animals to test this, and the results have demonstrated cognitive benefits of Yerba mate. One Brazilian study tested the effects of a yerba mate extract on the short and long term learning and memory of rats. Oral administration of the Yerba mate extract improved short term social memory in a specific manner. Their findings partly substantiated the traditional use of Yerba mate tea for improvement of cognition. [6]

Yerba Mate Weight Loss & Yerba Mate Studies

Aside from these various health benefits, another benefit that has helped Yerba Mate gain popularity and recognition is its use in the treatment of obesity, and its effect on weight loss. There are numerous studies that have found Yerba Mate to have beneficial effects for weight loss, and because of this, Yerba mate is a common ingredient that you often find in diet pills and fat burners. There are numerous studies showing the weight loss benefits of Yerba Mate in lab mice, and some studies conducted using human subjects. Below is a Yerba Mate weight loss study done on lab mice.

Antiobesity Effects of yerba maté Extract (Ilex paraguariensis) in High-fat Diet-induced Obese Mice.
Arçari DP, Bartchewsky W, Dos Santos TW, Oliveira KA, Funck A, Pedrazzoli J, de Souza MF, Saad MJ, Bastos DH, Gambero A, Carvalho PD, Ribeiro ML.
[1] Unidade Integrada de Farmacologia e Gastroenterologia, Universidade São Francisco, Bragança Paulista, Brazil [2] Departamento de Nutrição, Faculdade de Saúde Publica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Because the potential of yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) has been suggested in the management of obesity, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of yerba maté extract on weight loss, obesity-related biochemical parameters, and the regulation of adipose tissue gene expression in high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice. Thirty animals were randomly assigned to three groups. The mice were introduced to standard or high-fat diets. After 12 weeks on a high-fat diet, mice were randomly assigned according to the treatment (water or yerba maté extract 1.0 g/kg).

After treatment period, plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and glucose were evaluated. The results showed that obese mice treated with yerba maté exhibited marked attenuation of weight gain, adiposity, a decrease in epididymal fat-pad weight, and restoration of the serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and glucose. They concluded that yerba maté extract has potent antiobesity activity in vivo. [7]

In a systematic review done on a number of herbal weight loss supplements, numerous double-blind, randomized controlled trials were reviewed to assess all clinical evidence of adverse events of herbal food supplements for body weight reduction. The herbal products assessed include Ephedra sinica, Garcinia cambogia, Paullinia cupana, guar gum, Plantago psyllium, Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) and Pausinystalia yohimbe. The results of this systematic review showed that there are adverse side effects and events reported for a number of these herbal weight loss supplements, and suggested that the reported risks are sufficient to shift the risk-benefit balance against the use of most of the reviewed herbal weight-loss supplements. However, they made note that exceptions to this are Garcinia cambogia and yerba mate, which merit further investigation. [8] What we can gather from this review is that despite the adverse side side effects associated with many of their reviewed herbal weight loss supplements, Yerba Mate was one of the exceptions; however, more studies are needed.

In another similar type of study (this was not a systematic review, but a clinical trial), the effects of 12 commercially available plant preparations were investigated on non-obese men and women. The results of their study found no significant increase in energy expenditure with the preparations, and no change in respiratory quotient was shown, except after treatment with Yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis), where a drop was observed, which indicates a rise in the proportion of fat oxidized. [9]

There are also several studies done on herbal extract mixture preparations (which contained Yerba Mate extracts) on weight loss where several different types of herbal supplements are mixed in a formula to induce weight loss. In a randomised double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial done at the Poznan University of Medical Science in Poland, a botanical extract weight loss formula was evaluated. Two types of tablets were used: 1) extracts of Asparagus, Green tea, Black tea, Guarana, Yerba Mate and Kidney beans; and 2) extracts of Kidney bean pods, Garcinia cambogia, and Chromium yeast. 105 health and overweight subjects took part in this clinical trial. The two types of tablets were consumed twice daily with 2 main meals. Their results showed a significant change of the Body Composition Improvement Index, with increased body fat loss. [10]

Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients.
Andersen T, Fogh J.
Department of Ultrasound, Medical Center Charlottenlund, Trunnevangen 4A, DK 2920, Charlottenlund, Denmark.

This study was designed to determine the effects of a herbal preparation containing Yerba Maté, Guarana, and Damiana (YGD) on weight loss and gastric emptying. Gastric emptying was observed using ultrasound scanning in seven healthy volunteers following YGD and placebo capsules taken with 420 mL apple juice. Body weight was observed before and after 10 days of treatment with three YGD or placebo capsules for 10 days in 44 healthy overweight patients. Forty-seven healthy overweight patients entered a double-blind placebo-controlled parallel trial of three capsules of YGD capsules before each main meal for 45 days compared with three placebo capsules on body weight. Body weight was monitored in 22 patients who continued the YGD treatment for 12 months.

The study found that the herbal mixture prolonged gastric emptying time compared to the placebo group. They also recorded body weight reduction of 0.8kg for the YGD group compared to 0.3kg for the placebo group for the 10 day trial. For the 45 day trial, they found even greater weight loss where the YGD group lost on average 5.1kg compared to the 0.3kg of the placebo group. They concluded that the mixture of Yerba Mate, Guarana, and Damiana mixture capsules significantly delayed gastric emptying, reduced the time to perceived gastric fullness and induced significant weight loss over 45 days in overweight patients. [11]

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Dangers of Yerba Mate & Negative Side Effects

Yerba Mate is a stimulant and has various positive and negative physiological effects. Yerba Mate tea can help increase the focus and alertness of the user, and it may also make the user feel various negative side effects such as anxiety and jitteriness. Also, numerous studies have found that consistent drinking of Yerba Mate tea is associated with various forms of cancer. Drinking Yerba mate tea has been associated with cancers of the esophagus, oropharynx, larynx, lung, kidney, and bladder. One study conducted at the National Cancer Institute in the US to determine whether drinking yerba mate could lead to exposure to known carcinogens (a substance that causes cancer). The dry leaves of 8 different commercial brands of Yerba Mate tea was made with hot or cold water. Their results found that very high concentrations of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in yerba mate leaves and in hot and cold infusions. [12]

Studies performed in Uruguay have found a high risk of bladder cancer associated with drinking Yerba Mate tea. Drinking Yerba mate tea was positively associated with bladder cancer, and the risk increases with increasing duration and amount of yerba maté drinking. [13] Yerba Maté consumption has also been associated with an increased rate of oral, oropharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancers. Clinical evidence suggests that drinking Yerba Mate tea is carcinogenic, and plays a role in the development of cancers; however the exact mechanism of carcinogenesis of Yerba Maté is still unknown. [14]

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