113: Yerba Mate and Metabolism - What the Science Says with Dr. Ben Bikman

📢 Ask Dr. Bikman’s Digital Mind

🌿 Ben’s favorite yerba mate

In this Metabolic Classroom lecture, Dr. Bikman dives deep into the science behind yerba mate, a traditional South American tea with surprising metabolic benefits. He explores its bioactive compounds—like caffeine, chlorogenic acid, and saponins—and their synergistic effects on fat loss, insulin sensitivity, GLP-1 production, and more. Backed by human and animal studies, Ben outlines how yerba mate promotes fat oxidation, enhances mitochondrial function, modulates appetite via bitter taste receptors, and improves hormonal signaling, even at the level of adipose tissue.

The lecture also features research from his own lab on yerba mate’s ability to stimulate GLP-1 through the microbiome, influence redox states in the liver, and support thermogenesis in fat cells.

References:

Alkhatib, A., et al. (2015). Effects of Yerba Maté ingestion on fat utilisation during prolonged moderate intensity exercise. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 74, E358.

Zapata, F. J., et al. (2018). Yerba Mate Stimulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Thermogenesis in HighFatDietInduced Obese Mice. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 62(13), 1800142.

van Dijk, A. E., et al. (2009). Acute effects of decaffeinated coffee and the major coffee components chlorogenic acid and trigonelline on glucose tolerance. Diabetes Care, 32(6), 10231025.

Kim, J., et al. (2015). Antiobesity effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis)A randomized, doubleblind, placebocontrolled clinical trial.

Kim, H. J., et al. (2012). Effect of green mate in overweight volunteersA randomized placebocontrolled human study.

Martinet, A., et al. (1999). Thermogenic effects of commercially available plant preparations aimed at treating human obesity. Phytomedicine, 6(4), 231238.

Avau, B., et al. (2015). Targeting extraoral bitter taste receptors modulates gastrointestinal motility with effects on satiation. Scientific Reports, 5, 15985.

Deloose, E., et al. (2018). Intragastric infusion of the bitter tastant quinine suppresses hormone release and antral motility during fasting in healthy female volunteers. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 30(6), e13275.

Foster, S. R. et al. (2013). Expression, regulation and putative nutrientsensing function of taste GPCRs in the heart and white adipose tissue.

Janssen, S. et al. (2011). Bitter taste receptors and αgustducin regulate the secretion of ghrelin with functional effects on food intake and gastric emptying.

CooperLeavitt, E. T., Bikman, B. T., et al. (2025). The incretin effect of yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) is partially dependent on gutmediated metabolism of ferulic acid. Nutrients, 17(4), 625.

Walton, C. M., Bikman, B. T., et al. (2023). Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis) supplement exerts beneficial, tissuespecific effects on mitochondrial efficiency and redox status in healthy adult mice. Nutrients, 15(20), 4454.

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Timestamps (approximate):

Ben’s favorite mealreplacement shake(discountBEN10)

Ben’s favorite allulose source(discountBEN20)

Ben’s favorite health checkup for women(discountDRBEN15)

Ben’s favorite health checkup for men(discountDRBEN15)