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- Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis)
- Hypercholesterolemia
- Statin Enhancement
| Date: 09-30-2009 | HC# 090391-385 |
Re: Yerba Maté Infusion Consumption Improves Lipid Levels
de Morais EC, Stefanuto A, Klein GA, et al. Consumption of
yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis)
improves serum lipid parameters in healthy dyslipidemic subjects and provides
an additional LDL-cholesterol reduction in individuals on statin therapy. J Agric Food Chem. August 20, 2009:
[epub ahead of print] Doi: 10.1021/jf901660g.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a main cause of morbidity
and mortality worldwide. Decreasing high levels of low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (LDL-C) and/or increasing low levels of high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (HDL-C) can help reduce the pathological processes related to CVD.
Statins, which may decrease serum LDL-C by 30% to 40%, are used to treat
hypercholesterolemia. Of growing interest is the use of alternative treatments
to reduce and/or prevent hypercholesterolemia. The objectives of this study
were to evaluate the cholesterol-lowering potential of green and roasted yerba
maté (Ilex paraguariensis) infusions
in healthy subjects with normal lipid levels and those with dyslipidemia and to
investigate whether the yerba maté infusion could provide an additional
cholesterol reduction in subjects taking a stable statin dose.
Yerba maté is rich in phenolics and saponins with potential
lipid-lowering properties. For centuries, due to its caffeine content it was
used as a stimulant beverage by the South American native peoples, and is still
used as such today. Some studies have reported that the aqueous extract of
yerba maté inhibited LDL oxidation in vitro, and others have confirmed the high
antioxidant activity of the plant extracts. The authors' own studies have shown
that the aqueous extract of yerba maté inhibited the progression of
atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits and improved the vascular
contraction and relaxation in LDL receptor-knockout mice with atherosclerosis.
They also have reported that acute ingestion of yerba maté infusion by humans
increased the antioxidant protection of plasma and LDL particles against ex
vivo copper-mediated lipid peroxidation.
For the study reported in this article, yerba maté infusions
were prepared from commercially available green or roasted loose leaves of
yerba maté, purchased from Leao Junior SA (Curitiba-PR, Brazil).
Infusions were prepared by mixing boiling water and dried and minced leaves of
commercial green or roasted yerba maté in a proportion of 50 or 20 mg/mL,
respectively. After 10 minutes of extraction, the mixture was filtered and
consumed immediately by the subjects.
Determination of total saponin and total polyphenol contents
and a chromatographic analysis of phenolic compounds and xanthines in the yerba
maté green and roasted leaves and their respective infusions were conducted.
Subjects were recruited through an announcement at the
Federal University of Santa Catarina. Their general health and dyslipidemia
status were verified by a standard questionnaire and measurement of biochemical
and hematological parameters. After exclusion criteria were applied that
eliminated 16 (including adverse responses to maté in 4 subjects involving oral
or stomach mucosal irritation, insomnia, or nausea), 102 (36 men and 66 women;
mean age, 48.4 ± 1.35 years) subjects were eligible.
The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to
baseline serum lipids and lipoproteins values (as described in the IV Brazilian
Guideline for Dyslipidemia and Prevention of Atherosclerosis):
- Group 1: 15 normolipidemic
subjects
- Group 2: 57 dyslipidemic
subjects (LDL-C ≥ 160 mg/dL; triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL; HDL-C ≤ 50 mg/dL
for women and ≤ 40 mg/dL for men; or LDL-C/HDL-C ratio ≥ 2.5)
- Group 3: 30
hypercholesterolemic subjects on statin therapy. Statins given and the
daily doses were simvastatin (10 mg), atorvastatin (20 mg), or lovastatin
(40 mg).
The study was a single-blind, controlled trial. All subjects
followed their normal lifestyle (diet and physical activities) for 30 days
(baseline period). At least 2 weeks before the initial visit and throughout the
baseline period, however, the subjects were asked to discontinue consuming
yerba maté-containing beverages and using lipid-lowering products or drugs
except for their statins.
They were instructed to prepare the maté infusions daily,
with no sugar or sugar-like substances, and consume 330 mL 3 times daily for 40
days, immediately before or during their 3 daily meals. They could choose to
drink either the green or roasted yerba maté infusions throughout the study; 16
drank green maté (4 normolipidemic and 12 dyslipidemic) and 86 consumed roasted
maté infusion. All subjects in Group 3 drank roasted yerba maté. Though green
maté infusion had about 3 times the total saponins and phenols and 50% more
caffeine than the roasted maté infusion, similar serum lipid profile outcomes
for the green and roasted maté led to pooling of the data.
Blood samples were collected before (during the baseline
period at days -30, -15, and 0) and after 20 and 40 days of maté consumption.
Dietary intake was recorded for 3 days each during the baseline and the maté
ingestion periods. During the consumption period, 12 subjects dropped out of
the study because of personal reasons after 20-30 days.
The authors report the following results:
- For Group 1, the intake of
yerba maté infusions caused 8.7% and 7.3% reductions in LDL-C and 16% and
10% reductions in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, after 20 and 40 days,
respectively (P < 0.05), as compared with mean baseline values. Yerba
maté consumption did not change the levels of total cholesterol, HDL-C,
non-HDL-C, triglycerides, apo B-100, or apo B/apo A-I ratio (P > 0.05).
- For Group 2, the intake of
yerba maté infusions for 20 and 40 days reduced the total cholesterol by
3.5% and 4.6%, respectively (P < 0.01); LDL-C by 8.1% and 8.6%,
respectively (P < 0.001); non-HDL-C by 5.4% and 6.5%, respectively (P
< 0.05); and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio by 12.1% and 11.2%, respectively (P
< 0.01), compared with the baseline period. After 20 days of maté
consumption, HDL-C had increased by 4.4% (P < 0.01), apo B-100 was
reduced by 6.0% (P < 0.05), and the apo B/apo A-I ratio was lowered by
6.4% (P < 0.05). The triglyceride values were unchanged.
- For Group 3, during the
baseline period of 30 days, the serum levels of LDL-C and HDL-C remained
almost stable due to the statin therapy (P > 0.05). The ingestion of
the roasted yerba maté infusion, in addition to the usual statin therapy,
reduced the serum level of LDL-C by 10.0% (P < 0.01) after 20 days and
by 13.1% after 40 days (P < 0.05). A higher yerba maté
hypocholesterolemic tendency was seen in those subjects on atorvastatin
and lovastatin therapies compared with those on simvastatin. The HDL-C
level was increased by 6.2% after 40 days (P = 0.006). The LDL-C/HDL-C
ratio was lowered by 9.4% ± 0.1% and 19.9% ± 0.2%, after 20 and 40 days,
respectively (P < 0.05). No significant changes were noted in the total
cholesterol, triglycerides, and non-HDL-C levels.
The authors suggest that "a probable mechanism for the
LDL-C lowering ability of yerba maté is the blocking of cholesterol absorption
in the small intestine and/or the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in the
liver, which can be attributed to the presence of saponins, phenolic compounds,
flavonoids, and/or caffeine in the maté infusion." However, reasons for
the similar responses to the total saponins, phenols, and caffeine consumed
from the infusions of green maté (350 mg, 5.5 g, and 160 mg daily,
respectively) and the roasted maté (130 mg, 1.7 g, and 110 mg daily,
respectively) deserves additional investigation.
They conclude that the consumption of yerba maté infusion
improved the lipid parameters in normolipidemic and dyslipidemic subjects and
provided an additional LDL-C reduction in hypercholesterolemic subjects on
statin treatment, which may reduce the risk for CVD.
―Shari Henson
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