Yerba Mate Benefits: What Is Proven, What Is Not, and the Risks

3 min de lecture Par Mataye

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Most yerba mate benefits you read about come from animal studies or small trials. What the evidence supports, what it does not, and the risks worth knowing.

Yerba Mate Benefits: What Is Proven, What Is Not, and the Risks

The benefit of yerba mate that is well supported is alertness, because it contains caffeine. Other claimed benefits, such as weight loss, lower cholesterol and better blood sugar, come mostly from animal studies and small human trials, and Mayo Clinic says more research is needed to confirm them. Here is each claim and how strong the evidence is. For the basics, start with our yerba mate guide.

The short answer

  • Alertness and focus: yes, from caffeine.
  • Exercise: caffeine can help performance; little evidence for yerba mate beyond its caffeine.
  • Antioxidants: it contains polyphenols; whether that changes anything in your body is not shown.
  • Weight, cholesterol, blood sugar: promising in animal studies, limited in people.

Evidence by claim

Claim What is behind it Strength of evidence in people
Energy and alertness Caffeine, plus small amounts of theobromine Strong (for caffeine)
Exercise performance Caffeine Good for caffeine; little specific to yerba mate
Antioxidants Polyphenols such as chlorogenic acids Present in the drink; health effect not shown
Weight loss Cell and animal studies, a few small human trials Limited
Cholesterol Small human studies Limited
Blood sugar Animal and early human studies Preliminary

Energy and focus

A serving of yerba mate has roughly as much caffeine as a mug of coffee. Caffeine improves alertness and reaction time; that is well established. People often say mate feels smoother than coffee. That is personal experience rather than something studies have shown. Numbers are in how much caffeine is in yerba mate.

Does yerba mate help with weight loss?

A 2015 review of the research found that in cells and animals, yerba mate reduced fat build-up and improved blood fats, and concluded it "might be useful" against obesity. The human studies are few and small. There is no good evidence that drinking it on its own leads to meaningful weight loss. If it replaces a sugary drink, you cut calories; that is the swap, not the leaf.

Cholesterol and heart health

Some small studies in people found lower LDL cholesterol after drinking yerba mate daily for several weeks. They are short and small. Do not use yerba mate instead of any treatment your doctor recommends.

Yerba mate side effects

  • Caffeine effects: an upset stomach, trouble sleeping, feeling nervous or restless, a fast heartbeat (Mayo Clinic).
  • Heavy, long-term drinking: about 1 to 2 litres a day over years is linked with a higher risk of mouth, throat and lung cancers, more so with smoking or alcohol (Mayo Clinic).
  • Very hot drinks: above about 65°C they are classed as probably carcinogenic by the World Health Organization's cancer agency. Drink it warm or cold.

Who should avoid it

  • Children.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women, unless their midwife or GP agrees (caffeine limit in pregnancy: 200 mg a day, NHS).
  • People with heart conditions, high blood pressure or anxiety, or on medicine that interacts with caffeine, without medical advice.

Is yerba mate good for you?

In moderate amounts, for most adults, it is a reasonable alternative to coffee: it gives a similar lift, and Mayo Clinic says it is not linked to health problems in most adults. Treat the other benefits as possibilities, not promises. Keep it warm rather than scalding and do not drink litres a day.

How to try it

See how to drink yerba mate for the traditional and easy methods, or try it cold as tereré. Super Yerba Mate is a cold-mix sachet with around 100 mg of caffeine and 2 g of sugar per serving.

Sources

Autres guides