10-23-2007, 01:11 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Propecia, CA
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Mate Tea - A Scientific Overview
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Mate tea has recently been highly publicized for its health benefits but there have been also concerns about its safety.
The scientific literature, on one hand, reports that Mate tea is hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective (Filip and Ferraro 2003), central nervous system stimulant, diuretic (Gonzalez and others 1993), and antioxidant (Filip and others 2000; VanderJagt and others 2002). It also has benefits to the cardiovascular system (Schinella and others 2005), and is a protector of DNA oxidation and in vitro low-density lipoprotein (LDL) lipoperoxidation (Bracesco and others 2003).
Some studies have also suggested its potential in the management of obesity (Andersen and Fogh 2001; Pittler and Ernst 2004; Opala and others 2006).
Numerous active phytochemicals have been identified in Mate tea that may be responsible for its health benefits. Among them, the 2 highest compounds are the polyphenols (chlorogenic acid) and xanthines (caffeine and theobromine), followed by purine alkaloids (caffeic acid, 3, 4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid), flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin), amino acids, minerals (P, Fe, and Ca), and vitamins (C, B1, and B2) (Pomilio and others 2002; Zaporozhets and others 2004).
Not only has Mate tea been shown to contain high concentrations of bioactive compounds, it has also been shown to be cytotoxic to human cancer hepatoma cells (HepG2), and can act as a catalytic inhibitor of topoisomerase II (Ramirez-Mares and others 2004).
On the other hand, some epidemiological studies have reported an association between the consumption of Mate tea and an increased risk of various types of cancer, including oral, oropharyngeal, esophageal, laryngeal, and bladder (Goldenberg and others 2003; Sewram and others 2003; Bates and others 2007).
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https://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...1.2007.00535.x
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