Consumption of Yerba Mate

( Ilex paraguariensis ) is associated with higher bone mineral
density in postmenopausal women

The content on this page comes from ScienceDirect, and has been translated into Polish.

Link to source – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S8756328211011975

Abstract

Consumption of Yerba Mate tea ( Ilex paraguariensis ) is higher in Argentina and other South American countries than that of coffee or tea ( Camellia sinensis ). The effect of Yerba Mate on bone health had not been previously studied. From the osteoporosis prevention and treatment programme, postmenopausal women were identified who had drunk at least 1  l of Yerba Mate tea daily for 4 or more years (n = 146), and were then compared, matched for age and time since menopause, with an equal number of women who did not drink Yerba Mate tea. Their bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine and femoral neck . Yerba Mate drinkers had 9.7% higher lumbar spine BMD (0.952  g/cm ² compared with 0.858  g/cm ² : p  <  0.0001) and 6.2% higher femoral neck BMD (0.817  g/cm ² compared with 0.776  g/cm ² ; p  = 0.0002). In multiple regression analysis, drinking yerba mate was the only factor, apart from body mass index , that showed a positive correlation with BMD at both the lumbar spine ( p < 0.0001) and femoral neck ( p = 0.0028). The results indicate a protective effect of chronic Yerba Mate consumption on bones.     

Overview of key events

► Yerba Mate tea is widely consumed in South America, but its effect on bones is unknown. ► We compared the bone mineral density of postmenopausal women who drink Yerba Mate tea and those who don’t have this habit. ► Bone mineral density of the spine and hip was higher in Yerba Mate drinkers than in non-drinkers. ► In multivariate analysis, Yerba Mate consumption and body mass index were positively associated with bone mineral density.

Introduction

Osteoporosis is an important health issue [1]. Approximately 9  million osteoporotic fractures occur worldwide each year [2]. The prevalence of osteoporosis and the incidence of osteoporotic fractures in Latin America are lower than in Northern Europe and the United States [1], [2] and similar to those in Southern Europe [3], [4], [5], but are increasing. According to a recent World Health Organization report, a significant increase in osteoporotic fractures is expected in Asia and Latin America [1]. Latin American guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis have recently been updated [6].

Although many risk factors for osteoporosis have been identified, preventive efforts naturally focus on those risk factors that can be modified [7]. These include lifestyle-related factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, low calcium and vitamin D intake, smoking, or excessive alcohol consumption.

Caffeine intake may have a negative effect on bone mineral density and fracture risk [8], [9], [10]. However, popular xanthine-containing beverages such as coffee and tea also contain a number of other biologically active compounds that may offset the effect of xanthines alone. Thus, while high coffee consumption is associated with lower BMD [11], [12], accelerated bone loss [13] and increased fracture risk [14], both black and green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) consumption has been reported to have a protective effect on BMD [15], [16], [17], [18], [19] and a reduction in fracture risk [20], [21], although the effect appears to be small [22]. Recently, data on green tea have been reviewed [23].

Yerba Mate is a xanthine-containing beverage that is very popular in South America, especially in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay [24]. It is prepared from the dried, ground leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire tree. Although it can be prepared like any other infusion (i.e. soaking dried leaves in hot water, filtering and serving the tea in a cup), the usual way of drinking Yerba Mate tea is mate cebado , which is prepared as follows. A metal straw ( bombilla ) is inserted into a dried gourd ( mate ) containing the leaves, into which  hot water (70 to 80°C) is poured repeatedly. Yerba Mate prepared this way has an average caffeine concentration of 330 mg/L and has been found to be the main factor influencing caffeine intake in Argentine adults [25]. Nevertheless, we are not aware of any published work that has examined in detail the effect of Yerba Mate consumption on bone health.

We hypothesized that high Yerba Mate consumption could have a negative effect on bone mineral density due to its caffeine content. To test our hypothesis, we compared the lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density of women who drank Yerba Mate tea with women who did not have this habit.

Section excerpts

Subjects

This is a cross-sectional, observational study. Data on sedentary postmenopausal women were obtained from a large Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment Clinic, a branch of the Provincial Chronic Disease Program. The study was designed and conducted in full compliance with the current version of the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the Research and Education Committee of the Obra Social de Empleados Públicos in Mendoza,

Subjects

There were no significant differences in age, time since menopause, height, body weight, or calcium intake between Yerba Mate drinkers and non-drinkers. Although the standard dietary survey found no significant differences in dietary habits (other than Yerba Mate consumption), average energy intake, or the proportions of carbohydrates, lipids, and protein in the diet between groups, BMI was 1.1  kg/m2 ^higher in the Yerba Mate drinking group than in the control group. No significant difference was found for calcium

Main results

Yerba Mate consumption in the form of mate cebado was associated with higher BMD in both the lumbar spine and femoral neck. The linear relationship between lumbar spine BMD and femoral neck BMD did not differ significantly between Yerba Mate drinkers and the control group, suggesting a similar effect at both sites. In multiple regression analysis, only BMI and Yerba Mate consumption had a significant positive effect on BMD. These results indicate that our original hypothesis, according to which Yerba

Conclusion

Chronic consumption of Yerba Mate as mate cebado was associated with higher BMD in the lumbar spine and femoral neck, suggesting a protective effect of this tea on bone mass in postmenopausal women.

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest in connection with this work. In particular, none of them has any past or present relationship with the Yerba Mate industry.

Role of the Funding Source

The authors declare that the funding source (Obra Social de Empleados Públicos, Mendoza, Argentina) played no role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit it for publication.

Acknowledgement

The skilled technical assistance of María Angélica Andrada and Patricia F. Ortiz is gratefully acknowledged. William T. Miller, BS, MTh, kindly corrected the English text of an earlier version of this article. Bone density measurements and biochemical assays were partly funded by Obra Social de Empleados Públicos, Mendoza, Argentina.

The content on this page comes from ScienceDirect, and has been translated into Polish.

Link to source – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S8756328211011975