• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Healthy Eating

Can Yerba Mate Help You Burn Fat During Exercise?

Yerba mate is known for its effects on metabolism. Does it work during exercise, too?

Doug Dupont

Written by Doug Dupont Last updated on September 8, 2014

Yerba mate is an herb traditionally consumed in South America, where it’s known for its energy-boosting properties. In North America, Europe, and Asia Minor, its use as a tea is becoming increasingly common due to its antioxidant properties and effects on vasodilation. A recent Nutrition and Metabolism study investigated yerba mate’s fat-burning properties during exercise.

Many consumers use yerba mate to burn body fat. In addition to having many healthy ingredients, yerba mate also has caffeine levels comparable with tea. Caffeine is known to promote the burning of fat all on its own, so the practice is certainly reasonable.

However, until this study, there was no research that investigated the effects of yerba mate as a fat burner during exercise. While it may help to boost metabolism and thus increase fat burning while at rest, that doesn’t mean it will have the same effect during exercise. Because the use of fat for fuel during exercise is already heightened, it’s possible that yerba mate would simply have no effect at all when used during a workout.

Study Design

In the study, a group of fourteen men and women were recruited to partake in two sessions on an exercise bike. Each time their test on the bike was the same and each time they received a pill one hour before cycling. The pills either contained one gram of yerba mate or a placebo. The pills were given in a random order. Half of the participants received the yerba mate first and the other half received the placebo first. The researchers switched the order during the second trial.

The participants rode on the bike at increasing intensities every three minutes until they reached the limits of their ability to intake oxygen. The researchers measured performance, drew blood to find metabolic waste products, and took breath samples to determine how much energy was consumed.

Results

The power output and blood lactate content of each participant was statistically unchanged by taking the yerba mate pill, but energy expenditure increased. In fact, both fat burning and the percentage of total energy expenditure that came from fat instead of carbs or protein both increased by 24%, as long as the intensity levels were submaximal, or below seventy percent of VO2 peak. For most people, this intensity would be equivalent to a heart rate of between 150 and 160 beats per minute.

Considerations

It’s likely the caffeine found in yerba mate played a major role here, but there are two things to consider. First, yerba mate has many other beneficial ingredients, and they may also work synergistically to create the observed effect.

Second, the participants were selected partly because they weren’t habitual caffeine users. In other words, they consumed less than an average of two small cups or one big cup of coffee a day. Habitual caffeine use can reduce the effect, so if you plan on reaping the benefits of yerba mate, don’t consume caffeine every day.

References:

1. Ahmad Alkhatib, et. al., “Yerba Mate (Illex Paraguariensis) ingestion augments fat oxidation and energy expenditure during exercise at various submaximal intensities,” Nutrition and Metabolism 2014, 11:42

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Doug Dupont

About Doug Dupont

Having grown up at the foot of a forest covered mountain in rural Vermont, Doug was active from a very young age. Hiking, running, and climbing were a part of everyday life in the Green Mountains. This culture of exercise led to dabbling in martial arts as a teen, and also getting work in a local powerlifting focused gym. Doug continued to pursue knowledge and training in exercise, becoming a certified personal trainer while still a teenager. Once in college he began his hand at the business side of fitness, taking a management position at a large local gym. During that time he became a founding member of the UVM Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club, and was the first among their competition team. After only a few months he was assisting in coaching, and ran conditioning program for the club.

Out of college Doug set up his own training center. He grew his list of clientele including several professional MMA athletes, eventually going so far as to corner a world title fight. He has continued ­­­to develop his business into today.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

malefemalewod2
Exploring the Androgenic Herb Butea Superba
paralletsl-shapedsit1
The Best Amino Acid You’ve Never Heard Of
coq10andshilajitforpeakperformance1
Leverage the Power of CoQ10 for Longevity and Physical Performance
preworkoutsupplements
Pump Up the Volume: Alternative Pre-Workout Boosts that Spare Your Wallet

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

86-Year-Old Powerlifter Brian Winslow (60KG) Sets Deadlift Record of 77.5-Kilograms (170.8-Pounds)

Rauno Heinla Withdraws From 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man

Joe Mackey Crushes a 449-Kilogram (990-Pound) Hack Squat For 5 Reps

Lee Haney Explains Why He Retired Undefeated After 8 Olympia Titles: “There’s Nowhere Else To Go But Down”

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About