Journal of Medicinal Plants Research · Aug 27, 2026
Association of Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) consumption with metabolic parameters in obese climacteric women: A pilot before to after study
By Guilherme RC, Douglas SDAC, Márcia P et al.
The climacteric is defined as a biological stage in a woman’s life that encompasses the transition between the reproductive and non-reproductive periods. This aging process may be asymptomatic or present with diverse clinical manifestations, characterizing climacteric syndrome. Several studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of yerba mate consumption on climacteric syndrome clinical manifestations alone. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association of yerba mate consumption with metabolic parameters in obese climacteric women. Yerba mate extract was analyzed by liquid chromatography; phytochemicals were identified using standard compounds. A single-arm, pre-post intervention study was carried out with obese climacteric women (n=28). These women consumed 8 yerba mate capsules (250 mg/capsule) per day for 30 days. Body composition, basal metabolic rate, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), Homeostatic Model Assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) and lipid profile were assessed. Eight compounds were identified in yerba mate extract; theobromine, caffeine, rutin, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, syringic acid, ellagic acid, and rosmarinic acid. Yerba mate consumption was not associated with body composition, basal metabolic rate and glucose homeostasis. However, it reduced total cholesterol and non- High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The yerba mate consumption was associated with a robust improvement in lipid profile, even after correction for multiple comparisons. Key words: Ilex paraguariensis; obese climacteric women; body composition; glucose homeostasis; lipid profile.