Effect of Ilex Paraguariensis Harvest Time and Consumption Method of Processed Yerba Mate on the Lipid Profile

Launched by UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CAAGUAZU · Mar 19, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how the timing of harvesting yerba mate, a popular drink made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, and the way it is consumed (as hot mate, cold tereré, or both) can affect people's cholesterol levels and overall fat metabolism. Researchers in Paraguay want to learn more about how these factors influence health, especially for those who regularly drink yerba mate. Participants will be divided into groups based on when the yerba mate is harvested and how they drink it, and their cholesterol levels will be measured at the start of the trial and again after 30, 90, and 180 days of consumption.

To join the study, participants should be between 18 and 60 years old, live in Paraguay, and regularly consume yerba mate. They will need to stop drinking yerba mate for two weeks before the study starts and agree to follow specific instructions on how to drink the yerba mate provided by the research team. Throughout the trial, participants will not change their usual diet or exercise habits, and they will learn about their cholesterol levels only after the trial ends. This study aims to provide important insights into how yerba mate consumption can impact health, particularly for those with lipid metabolism disorders.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Individuals of both sexes, between 18 and 60 years of age, residing in the country, who consume prepared yerba mate.
• • 2. Consumers of mate or tereré and mate/terere who agree to consume the yerba mate samples provided by the research team, which will be masked from laboratory analysis.
• • 3. Two weeks of abstinence from consuming prepared yerba mate, either as mate or tereré, prior to randomization for the trial.
• • 4. Consume exclusively prepared yerba mate in the prescribed manner (quantity of yerba, frequency of consumption, and sips), either in its mate or tereré form independently, and for those who consume both forms daily.
• • 5. Do not change the yerba mate consumer's usual diet or regular physical activity during the trial period.
• • 6. Agree to know the laboratory results of the lipid profile only at the end of the trial (180 days after the start).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Individuals receiving lipid-lowering treatment at the start of the trial.
• • 2. Consuming any other type of yerba mate not provided by the principal investigator.
• • 3. Individuals requiring vitamins as a nutritional supplement.
• • 4. Individuals taking thermogenic supplements.
• • 5. Individuals consuming cooked mate.
• • 6. Addiction to medicinal plants or herbs, both mate and tereré.
• • 7. Individuals with a personal history of coronary artery disease.