Effects of Ilex Paraguariensis Polyphenols on Magnesium Absortion and Iron Bioavailability: Preliminary Study

Abstract

Yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) is a native plant of South America widely consumed as hot infusion. It is a vegetable that has many bioactive compounds, such as caffeine, theobromine theophylline and saponins, phenolic compounds, mainly chlorogenic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids, and minerals as Fe, Ca, K y Mg, which have many beneficial properties for the health. Polyphenols have the property of chelating the transition metals, as iron and magnesium, decreasing their bioavailability. Iron deficiency anaemia and subclinical hypomagnesemia is observed in the American population. Women at childbearing age belong to a specially vulnerable group. The aim of this work was to evaluate the "in vivo" effect of the polyphenols from yerba maté infusions, consumed in their traditional form, on the bioavailability of Fe and Mg in the diet. Eleven healhty young female volunteers participated in the magnesium and iron study. After the first blood sample was taken (time 0), the volunteers ingested 300 mL of yerba maté infusions, ferrous sulfate or yerba maté infusions plus ferrous sulfate at50 °C in no more than 5 minutes. They remained seated at a comfortable temperature throughout the study. Blood samples were taken 20, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100 and 120 minutes after ingestion.The yerba maté infusions prepared in their traditional form of "hot maté", which containining an average of 4.68 ± 0.54 GAE/L of polyphenols, have an inhibitory effect on the bioavailability of the magnesium and mainly on non-heminic Fe consumed as ferrous sulphate of the 76 ± 10 % .In Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay Yerba mate consumption is very high, either in the traditional form of hot mate, tea mate in tea bags or cold mate (tereré ). Hot mate consists of putting between 30 and 50 g of yerba mate in a gourd, and a device similar to a straw (bombilla) with a filter on its end is inserted into the yerba mate. Then fractions of approximately 30 mL of hot water (70 º C to 85 º C) are poured repeatedly on the yerba mate, to extract the infusion through the "bombilla". Yerba mate infusions contain a high amount of polyphenols, mainly caffeoylquinic acids.Units and reference values: 1 Globular sedimentation rate (GSR): 0 -15 mm/ 1 er h; 2 Hematocrito: 37 -47 %; 3 Hemoglobin: 11,5 16, 5 g/dL;

Market Expansion of Caffeine-Containing Products: Italian and Argentinian Yerba Mate Consumer Behavior and Health Perception

“…Results confirm yerba mate consumption in Argentina is a national dietary tradition driven by taste, habit, and socialization [21,38,46]. There is limited awareness of the mate health benefits, despite its health-benefits were the starting point for mate consumption in past centuries [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]36,46]. As highlighted by past studies, women drink mate tea frequently, moreso than males.…”

“…The different findings on the levels of antioxidant properties takes origin from the different provenance and kinds of yerba mate studied [28]. Uruguayan and Brazilian mate have higher antioxidant effects than the Argentinian one [29].…”

Elevated Iron Chelating Activity of Ilex paraguariensis Leaf Infusion: in vitro and in vivo Pilot Studies

“…Boado and coauthors [24] dissolved 40 mg of iron in a traditional South American beverage with leaves and stems of Ilex paraguariensis ("mate"), and it was ingested by women. The study showed that the complexation of the iron could had been in the beverage "mate", before the intake.…”