aging vs disease

Everyday people power up their computers in search for information in regards to green tea versus yerba mate in their health benefits. For some, the interest is to compare their possible weight loss benefits, while others want to compare their overall health benefits. As such, let’s begin with green tea versus yerba mate in their overall possible health benefits.

Yerba mate actions and uses:

Free radical fighter (antioxidant)
May potentially help with maintaining healthy cholesterol levels
Appetite suppressant
Mind stimulator
Stimulates the production of cortisone
Tones the nervous system
Fighter of aging
Enhances the healing powers of other herbs
Diuretic

Yerba mate may be useful for:

Allergies
Constipation
Inflammatory bowel disorders
PMS fluid retention
Mental and physical fatigue
Shows promise as weight loss agent

Green tea actions and uses:

Free radical fighter(antioxidant)
Stimulates the immune system
Fighter of tooth decay (high in fluoride)
Cancer Prevention
Counter aging
Ward off heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing blood pressure
May delay the onset of atherosclerosis

Green tea may be useful for:

Asthma
Diarrhea
Mental fatigue
Indigestion
Shows promise as a weight-loss aid

Now, let’s move on to what these two may have in common. They both are antioxidants, they both contain caffeine, and they both have been touted as a weight-loss aid. As such, we will start with green tea versus yerba mate as a free radical fighter.

Antioxidant

Both yerba mate and green tea harbor antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are disease-fighting substances that mop up the continuous onslaught of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells as they travel through the body and are thought to be instrumental in causing cancer, aging, and many degenerative diseases, including atherosclerosis and heart disease if left unchecked.

The main contributors that have helped green tea’s claim to fame are a particular group of potent antioxidants called polyphenols, particularly one of the polyphenols called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In fact, researchers found EGCG to be 200 times more powerful than the well renowned antioxidant vitamin E in neutralizing free radicals.

However, yerba mate is said to contain polyphenols similar to those of green tea, compounds that may prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol in the process of atherosclerosis.

Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre’s Opinion on Green tea versus Yerba mate as an Antioxidant

Quite honestly, we take green tea for our free radical protection due to the following:

First, we simply were impressed with green tea’s population studies. For example, according to the well renowned tome “The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies” written by Mark Stengler, N.D. who states:

“In general, it’s been found that in populations of people who consume green tea on a regular basis, people have a much lower incidence of cancer than in populations where people drink other kinds of tea or none at all. In Japan, for example, researchers noted significantly lower cancer rates. In large part, they feel, that’s attributable to the high consumption of green tea.” (Page 246.)

Second, after extensive research through countless alternative health tomes written by Naturopaths and others alike, we were unable to find much written on yerba mate’s antioxidant properties except for what we mentioned above. On the other hand, the exciting information about green tea’s possible health benefits due to its antioxidant properties is endless. Put simply, there is not much published research on yerba mate, so the green tea versus yerba mate debate as far as their possible antioxidant benefits, green tea won by a landslide.

However, keep in mind, like many other herbs, that many of the medicinal claims made for green tea haven’t been examined outside a laboratory setting, specifically in clinical trials that assess the tea’s health effects in humans. Nevertheless, green tea’s antioxidant properties may help to prevent various types of cancer, ward off heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing blood pressure, and fight aging.

With that being said, let’s move on to green tea versus yerba mate in their caffeine content.

Caffeine Content

An average cup (6 oz.) of green tea contains approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine. For those of you sensitive to caffeine, green tea is available in a decaffeinated tea form and supplemental form. In other words, the caffeine has been removed.

What about the yerba mate’s caffeine content?

An average cup (6 oz.) of yerba mate contains approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine.

So, how much caffeine is in a cup of brewed coffee? On average, it is approximately 100 to 150 milligrams per cup.

Weight-Loss – Green tea or Yerba mate?

Perhaps one of the greatest interests among these two is to compare green tea versus yerba mate in their possible weight loss benefits. Let’s begin with yerba mate.

First, despite claims to the contrary, yerba mate does contain caffeine and, as such, the primary weight-loss component of mate is caffeine. As such, used in combination with guarana and damiana, which are other caffeine-containing herbs, yerba mate was found in one study to delay gastric emptying and induced significant weight loss. However, no studies have shown that we are aware of, whether yerba mate by itself has any affect on weight loss. For those who want to delve deeper into this study, it can be found at PubMed.

Indeed, green tea has gained a lot of attention for its possible weight loss benefits. Swiss researchers have preliminary evidence that green tea accelerates the burning of fat calories in individuals who are overweight. A small but interesting study published in the in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 70, No. 6, 1040-1045, December 1999 found that “Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.”

So, what’s the bottom line on green tea versus yerba mate in their possible weight loss benefits?

Both green tea and yerba mate requires more well-designed and controlled clinical studies to validate their effectiveness and safety as a weight loss aid.

Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre’s Opinion on Green tea versus Yerba mate as a possible Weight-Loss Aid

It is our honest opinion that diet and exercise combined is the best way to lose weight. However, if you’ve already decided to go the supplement route and are deciding between these two, it is difficult to know, which, if any, will be helpful to you. Moreover, we highly recommend that you only use it under medical supervision.

Precautions

There have been studies done in Uruguay and Paraguay that have linked esophageal cancer in heavy mate users. However, our research indicates that these findings appear to have no significance to Americans who drink a cup of mate occasionally.

Always consult a physician before taking any medicinal amounts of yerba mate or green tea and/or taking any dietary supplements.

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