Hibiscus, Rooibos, and Yerba Mate for Healthy Aging: A Review on the Attenuation of In Vitro and In Vivo Markers Related to Oxidative Stress, Glycoxidation, and Neurodegeneration

Abstract

The world is currently undergoing a demographic change towards an increasing number of elderly citizens. Aging is characterized by a temporal decline in physiological capacity, and oxidative stress is a hallmark of aging and age-related disorders. Such an oxidative state is linked to a decrease in the effective mechanisms of cellular repair, the incidence of post-translational protein glycation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neurodegeneration, just to name some of the markers contributing to the establishment of age-related reduction-oxidation, or redox, imbalance. Currently, there are no prescribed therapies to control oxidative stress; however, there are strategies to elevate antioxidant defenses and overcome related health challenges based on the adoption of nutritional therapies. It is well known that herbal teas such, as hibiscus, rooibos, and yerba mate, are important sources of antioxidants, able to prevent some oxidation-related stresses. These plants produce several bioactive metabolites, have a pleasant taste, and a long-lasting history as safe foods. This paper reviews the literature on hibiscus, rooibos, and yerba mate teas in the context of nutritional strategies for the attenuation of oxidative stress-related glycoxidation and neurodegeneration, and, here, Alzheimer’s Disease is approached as an example. The focus is given to mechanisms of glycation inhibition, as well as neuroprotective in vitro effects, and, in animal studies, to frame interest in these plants as nutraceutical agents related to current health concerns.

Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) Supplement Exerts Beneficial, Tissue-Specific Effects on Mitochondrial Efficiency and Redox Status in Healthy Adult Mice

“…Although we did not directly quantify ROS, the shift in GSH/GSSG is suggestive of decreased oxidative stress, which could be due to a reduction in the production of ROS, an upregulation of antioxidant defenses and free radical scavenging, or possibly both. This would require further investigation; however, our findings are consistent with other studies that report yerba maté attenuates oxidative stress [38,50].…”

Can Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis A.-St.-Hil) and Its Constituents Affect Health and Obesity?

“…It prevents diseases of cardiovascular system as well as bone thinning in menopause women. It improves gastrointestinal microbiota [2,6,8,9].…”

“…Yerba Maté, as well as its relatives, contains large amounts of caffeine polyphenols, alkaloids (mainly caffeine and theobromine), tannins, and saponins [1][2][3][4]. The content of these molecules in Yerba Maté is similar to that in coffee and tea, but Yerba Maté contains more polyphenols [1] with stronger antioxidant capacity [2,5,6] than green tea.…”

“…• Increasing burning (oxidation) of fat in human sportsmen and healthy volunteers [21][22][23][24] and mice [25] and energy expenditure in mice [3]. On the other hand, the antioxidant properties of Yerba Maté polyphenols [6,25] and their ability to reduce oxidation of lipids in humans [4] has been reported. The reported differences in plant effects could be explained by differences in experimental models and treatments used in different studies.…”

Comparative Quantitative Analysis of Some Classes of Bioactive Compounds in Some Coffee Sortiments Available on the Romanian Market

“…Malvaceae). It is a traditional drink in many North African countries and it is completely caffeine-free (Nogueira Silva Lima et al 2022).…”