Drinking yerba mate is huge in South America. And now, it’s tumbling its way down all over the globe because of its many health benefits.
Yerba mate is a type of holly plant – specifically called Ilex paraguariensis.
I’m sure you already know how useful it is in regards to focus and concentration. That’s well known.
So what I want to show you in this post are other health benefits that you might not know about.
Each benefit you’ll find below is backed by science. It’s not anecdotal evidence.
I will be quoting and linking to each study so you can see for yourself as well.
None of what you read below are suggested evidence either. They’re all concrete and proven studies.
I’ve read several posts about health benefits of yerba mate and to tell you the truth…
Most don’t show or link to their sources. And if they do, they’re not credible. Some aren’t even actual studies. They’re just another site stating claims without backing it up.
But anyways, let’s start with the first one.
#1: Increases Fat Burn During Exercise
Everyone wants to lose fat and slim down. It’s obvious.
You look more attractive. And you’re healthier. Both things that will improve your life greatly.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy. Which explains why about 50% of the United States is obese.
But the good news is yerba mate can help you lose fat.
How?
Here’s what this study shows…
Researchers took 14 healthy adults (half male, half female) and gave them pills to consume 60 minutes before exercise. Some received 1 gram of yerba mate, while others received a placebo.
The purpose of this study was to compare the fatty acid oxidation levels between the two groups during exercise. And the results were impressive.
What they found were the adults who took yerba mate before exercise, burned 24% more fat than the control group.
They also found that yerba mate DOES NOT negatively effect exercise performance. If anything, it helped improve it.
Now does this mean you’re going to lose weight simply by drinking lots of mate?
No.
A lot goes into losing weight. What’s important here is drinking yerba mate can help you burn more fat. But ONLY during exercise. There were no big differences between the groups when at rest.
So if you’re already exercising daily and want to lose weight quicker, drinking yerba mate can help you.
#2: Helps Prevent Cancer
Cancer is a topic nobody likes to talk about. And it’s often highly debated when mentioned with yerba mate.
On one hand, there’s people who are scared to drink mate because some studies suggest it can cause cancer (which I’ll debunk in another post).
And on the other hand, people that believe yerba mate is helpful in preventing cancer.
Which one’s right?
To find the answer to this question was hard.
Cancer is a big deal. In fact, it’s the second leading cause of death in the United States.
And saying yerba mate might prevent cancer, isn’t enough for you to believe it. You want a specific answer.
So I dug hard enough to come to a conclusion.
But before I reveal it to you, these studies DO NOT mean we found the one quick solution to cure all cancer. Not at all.
It simply shows that yerba mate has anti-cancer properties.
To explain it in the most simplest way, yerba mate contains chemical compounds called saponins. And research has shown saponins to prevent the growth of tumor cells.
Saponins are common within lots of plants.
And yerba mate is one of them. A study has found 5 primary saponins within yerba mate leaves.
This is important because another study, found at least 150 kinds of saponins have significant anti-cancer properties.
Here’s what it said:
Modern research found that saponins have anti-tumor effect on many cancer cells. Several saponins inhibit tumor cell growth by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis with IC50 values up to 0.2 mM
What does this mean?
Saponins help stop cancer cell growth. Cell cycle arrest is the same as preventing cells from duplicating. And apoptosis is the same as killing cells.
Sound too hard to believe?
Here’s what else it said:
The identification and development of saponins have greatly contributed to medical treatment of cancer and many of these compounds are now being used in clinical practice. Almost all saponins induce apoptosis in tumor cells; they are preferable drugs for the treatment of cancer…
Basically, saponins already proved to be effective against cancer. And you’re able to access it just by brewing yourself a fresh gourd of mate.
That’s awesome if you ask me.
#3: Reduces Risk Of Human Diseases
Let me ask you, how many times have you heard this repeated over and over again.
Yerba mate is full of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
A lot right?
But it’s 100% true. And it needs to be repeated again.
Because the antioxidants in yerba mate can reduce the risk of human diseases. How? Read on to find out…
Yerba mate contains a chemical compound called polyphenols, specifically chlorogenic acid. Something not found in either green tea or black tea.
Why’s chlorogenic acid important?
Well, one study tested the antioxidant activity in relation to the content of caffeoyl-derivatives (chlorogenic acid) in yerba mate.
Here’s what they found:
A positive and significant correlation was observed between the antioxidant activity and the content of caffeoyl-derivatives of the assayed extracts (yerba mate).
In other words, chlorogenic acid has antioxidant properties.
And according to this study,
Number of studies has demonstrated that consumption of polyphenols (chlorogenic acid) limits the incidence of coronary heart diseases.
But wait, there’s more:
Epidemiological studies have repeatedly shown an inverse association between the risk of chronic human diseases and the consumption of polyphenolic rich diet.
As you can see, the polyphenols found in yerba mate help prevent many diseases. And this isn’t from just one study, but from multiple.
Final Words
Yerba mate is more than just a delicious brew of tea.
It’s also more than the three benefits listed in this post. These are only a few.
I’m sure I missed some things (feel free to chime in).
Plus, I only wanted to show benefits that are absolutely proven to be true.
Not studies that suggest yerba mate can do this or that. Or studies that have only been tested on non-living things or animals.
That doesn’t mean much.
So to recap, here are the three yerba mate benefits:
- Increases fat burn during exercise
- Helps prevent cancer
- And it reduces the risk of human diseases
P.S. If you want to start drinking yerba mate to reap all of its health benefits, check out our store now to get everything you need!