Maté's therapeutic uses
Maté is a traditional South American beverage made from the leaves and stems of an evergreen tree, primarily found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is renowned for its caffeine content, which is believed to enhance mental function and sports performance. Beyond these primary uses, maté is proposed to have several potential health benefits, including antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory effects, support for bone health, mood enhancement, cardiovascular support, and even weight loss aid. Preliminary studies have suggested that maté could lower bad cholesterol and may help in managing blood sugar levels.
However, while some studies indicate these advantages, the evidence is often at an early stage and may not be fully conclusive. Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of maté, particularly due to associations with increased cancer risk in heavy consumers, possibly linked to both the beverage's compounds and the temperature at which it is consumed. Additionally, the caffeine in maté can lead to side effects like insomnia, anxiety, and digestive issues, and it may interact with various medications. Overall, while maté is widely consumed and valued for its potential health benefits, further research is needed to substantiate many of its therapeutic claims and to understand its safety profile more comprehensively.
Maté's therapeutic uses
- DEFINITION: Natural plant product used to treat specific health conditions.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Enhancing mental function (with caffeine content), enhancing sports performance (with caffeine content)
- OTHER PROPOSED USES: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bone health, boost mood, cardiovascular benefits, cancer prevention, weight loss
Overview
Maté is an evergreen tree native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Its leaves and small stems are used to make a tea-like caffeinated beverage. Maté has traditionally been used to enhance alertness and mental function and to treat digestive problems.
Therapeutic Dosages
A typical dose of maté is 3 to 10 grams (g) of dried herb per cup. Concentrated extracts are also available. These should be taken according to label instructions.
Therapeutic Uses
Maté is widely advertised as a healthful beverage and is said to provide all the presumed benefits of green tea, such as preventing cancer and heart disease. Although the basis for this claim was once largely theoretical, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies showing health benefits began to emerge in the twenty-first century. For example, studies have shown maté may have specific cardiovascular benefits, such as lowering bad cholesterol. Maté contains antioxidant polyphenols similar to those in tea, but this does not demonstrate that maté is health-promoting; numerous substances with strong antioxidant properties have failed to prove beneficial in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Still, antioxidants have been proven to protect from free radicals that cause chronic health conditions, and maté is rich in polyphenols and saponins.
In the test tube, maté showed effects that suggested a possible value for reducing cancer risk. However, these findings are far too preliminary to rely upon; in fact, there is stronger evidence that maté could, under certain circumstances, increase the risk of cancer.
Other proposed benefits of maté also largely lack foundation. One study found that an extract of maté could help slow glycation, a metabolic side effect of diabetes. These findings have been used to claim that maté is healthful for people with diabetes. However, this study did not involve people with diabetes; it involved chemicals in a test tube. Tens of thousands of substances show benefits in the test tube that fail to translate into real life; it is greatly premature to claim that maté is helpful for people with diabetes based on these exceedingly preliminary findings.
Similarly weak evidence hints that maté might increase fat metabolism, and on this basis, maté has been proposed as a weight-loss agent. One small double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated an herbal preparation containing maté combined with guarana and damiana. The herbal mixture appeared to cause participants to feel full more quickly during a meal and to continue to feel full for longer after the meal; this led to modest, short-term weight loss. However, it is not clear to what extent the maté in this product played a role. Another study found that maté might increase bile flow and speed the action of the intestines; these reported effects, even if real, do not indicate any particular health benefit. A study published in 2015, however, showed that supplementation with maté could assist in weight management.
Although some maté proponents attempted for many years to maintain that maté did not contain caffeine (supposedly, it contained a chemical called mateine, which does not exist), maté does contain caffeine. Depending on how it is brewed, maté tea contains more caffeine than black tea and slightly less caffeine than coffee. Based on this caffeine content, maté would be expected to enhance mental function and improve sports performance.
Several other proposed indications for treatment with maté appear promising, but more study is needed. As previously mentioned, a study published in 2020 showed maté had promise in promoting heart health by lowering bad low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Preliminary studies also showed its potential to control blood sugar and reduce inflammation in the body. Test tube studies suggested maté might play a role in fighting infections. A study published in 2012 found benefits for improving bone density in postmenopausal women. Preliminary studies suggested maté’s stimulant properties and the subsequent increase in dopamine levels may be beneficial for mood disorders and mental health. Finally, maté’s profile as being high in antioxidants and certain nutrients may protect individuals from long-term chronic conditions such as heart disease.
Safety Issues
As a widely consumed beverage, maté is generally assumed to be entirely safe. However, this may be an incorrect assumption. Numerous studies have found associations between high consumption of maté in South America and increased rates of cancer of the esophagus, mouth, throat, and larynx. It is widely stated that this increased risk is entirely due to the practice of drinking maté at very high temperatures. However, the underlying evidence is not so clear-cut. The data actually suggest that at least some of this increased risk is because of the maté itself rather than the temperature at which it is consumed. In addition, maté consumption has also been associated with an increased risk of kidney and lung cancer, which would not be expected to be influenced by beverage temperature. Finally, there is some direct evidence that maté has carcinogenic effects. Putting all this information together, it does appear that maté is, at the very least, slightly carcinogenic. However, so is charred hamburger; moderate use of maté is not likely to significantly increase one’s cancer risk.
Other potential problems with maté relate to its caffeine content. Potential side effects of caffeine include heartburn, gastritis, insomnia, anxiety, and heart arrhythmias (benign palpitations or more serious disturbances of heart rhythm.) All drug interactions that can occur with caffeine would be expected to occur with maté as well.
Maximum safe doses have not been established in pregnant or nursing women, young children, or people with severe liver or kidney disease.
Important Interactions
In persons taking MAO inhibitors, the caffeine in maté could cause dangerous drug interactions. Those taking stimulant drugs, such as those prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may find the stimulant effects of maté to be amplified. Also, the caffeine in maté may interfere with the action of drugs to prevent heart arrhythmias or treat insomnia, heartburn, ulcers, or anxiety.
Bibliography
Avena Álvarez, María Virginia, et al. "Asociación entre el consumo de yerba mate y el perfil lipídico en mujeres con sobrepeso" [Association between consumption of yerba mate and lipid profile in overweight women]. Nutrición Hospitalaria, vol. 36, no. 6, 2019, pp. 1300-1306, doi.org/10.20960/nh.02599.
Brennan, Dan. "Are There Health Benefits to Drinking Yerba Mate?" WebMD, 16 Nov. 2022, www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-yerba-mate. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Chandra, S., and E. De Mejia Gonzalez. "Polyphenolic Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, and Quinone Reductase Activity of an Aqueous Extract of Ardisia compressa in Comparison to Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) and Green (Camelliasinensis) Teas." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 52, 2004, pp. 3583-3589.
Conforti, Andrea S et al. "Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) Consumption Is Associated with Higher Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women." Bone, vol. 50, no. 1, 2012, pp. 9-13, doi:10.1016/j.bone.2011.08.029. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
DeSoto, Lindsey. "Yerba Mate: Health Uses and Safety Risks." Verywell Health, 9 Aug. 2024, www.verywellhealth.com/yerba-mate-tea-uses-safety-7496097. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Goldenberg, D., et al. "The Beverage Maté: A Risk Factor for Cancer of the Head and Neck." Head and Neck, vol. 25, 2003, pp. 595-601.
Gonzalez de Mejia, E., et al. "Effect of Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) Tea on Topoisomerase Inhibition and Oral Carcinoma Cell Proliferation." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 53, 2005, pp. 1966-1973.
Lunceford, N., and A. Gugliucci. "Ilex paraguariensis Extracts Inhibit AGE Formation More Efficiently than Green Tea." Fitoterapia, vol. 76, no. 5, 2005, pp. 419-427.
Ramirez-Mares, M. V., et al. "In Vitro Chemopreventive Activity of Camellia sinensis, Ilexparaguariensis, and Ardisia compressa Tea Extracts and Selected Polyphenols." Mutatation Research, vol. 554, 2004, pp. 53-65.
Sewram, V., et al. "Maté Consumption and the Risk of Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer in Uruguay." Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, vol. 12, 2003, pp. 508-513.
Zeratsky, Katherine. "A Friend Suggested That I Try Yerba Mate Tea to Boost My Energy. What Is Yerba Mate?" Mayo Clinic, 14 Feb. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/yerba-mate/faq-20058343. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.