On many occasions we have written about the power of antioxidants in reducing oxidative stress and inflammation among smokers and those with respiratory conditions such as COPD. We’ve discussed studies examining dietary antioxidant supplements, foods with high antioxidant content, and even cigarettes laced with antioxidants. Now comes a new study about an antioxidant rich beverage, Mate tea, and its ability to reduce inflammation caused by cigarette smoke. (1)
Mate tea is a beverage made by brewing the dried leaves and twigs of the herb yerba mate. Once steeped, it can be served hot or cold and is a popular beverage in many Latin American and Arabian countries. Yerba mate is known to be a rich source of an antioxidant form called xanthines. Interestingly, caffeine is considered one of the more powerful xanthines.
The research article, published online ahead of print in the journal Experimental Lung Research, investigated supplementing Mate tea to cigarette smoke-exposed laboratory mice. The researchers divided 60 laboratory mice into four groups. The control group received no exposure to cigarette smoke and Mate tea. A second group received the Mate tea but no cigarette smoke. A third group was exposed to cigarette smoke but received no Mate tea. The last group was exposed to both cigarette smoke and Mate tea.
The groups exposed to cigarette smoke received the equivalent of 12 cigarettes a day over a 60 day period. The groups receiving Mate tea received 500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight daily over the same 60 day period. At the end of the study, the mice were euthanized, their lungs removed and analyzed. The researchers evaluated both statistical measures of inflammation (counting certain white blood cells known to be present in high numbers in inflamed lung tissue), and observational differences in lung tissue samples examined under a microscope.
They found dramatic differences in both evaluation sets. For example, counts of inflammation related white blood cells known neutrophils were measured at 8.7 squared millimeters in the control group while the cigarette smoke exposed group measured 71 (a huge difference and a clear indication of the impact of cigarette smoke’s ability to inflame lung tissue). By comparison, the neutrophil count in cigarette smoke exposed mice who also received Mate tea was only 27. In other words, while the cigarette/Mate group showed some inflammation, it was significantly lower than the mice exposed to cigarette smoke only (61% lower). Similar results were found for other inflammation related white blood cell types measured by the study team.
When looking at samples of lung tissue under a microscope, the researchers found significantly enlarged air spaces in the cigarette smoke exposed mice in comparison to the control group (enlarged air spaces are indicative of emphysema and are a by-product of persistent inflammation). On average, the volume density of the air spaces in the cigarette group was 16% higher than the control. By comparison, the volume density of the cigarette/Mate group was only 6% higher than the control group. Again, this shows that the antioxidant properties of Mate tea were effective in reducing inflammation associated with cigarette smoke.
The researchers concluded, “This study examined Mate tea in response to CS (cigarette smoke) exposure in the mouse. The protection observed, by both histological and biochemical analyses, leads us to suggest that Mate tea provides beneficial effects against lung damage caused by CS exposure in the mouse. In the CS+Mate group, few alterations to the alveolar spaces were observed, elastic fibers were preserved, and there were fewer macrophages and neutrophils recruited to alveoli compared to the CS group... Our results point to Mate tea as a nutritional antioxidant against lung injury in mice exposed chronically to CS and support efforts to investigate the beneficial effects of Mate tea on CS related lung injury in other animal models and humans.”
While many pulmonology professionals will be reluctant to recommend consuming Mate tea to COPD patients and smokers based on a mouse study, we think it is of value to share the study results with you. In the pursuit of better breathing, it is clear that regular consumption of antioxidants by any means possible is beneficial to those who smoke and have respiratory conditions. And certainly, there is no harm in adding a cup of Mate tea to your daily routine.
If you don’t think Mate is your cup of tea (sorry for the bad pun) to receive antioxidants, we recommend you either consider adding an antioxidant-rich multi-nutrient such as our Resplenish dietary supplement, www.resplenish.com, and/or adding antioxidant rich foods to your daily diet – an excellent choice is gold kiwi (check out our new article on gold kiwi in our e-letter Breathe Better for Life News). For other articles we’ve written regarding inflammation, oxidative stress, and antioxidants studied by respiratory health researchers, visit our Breathe Better Blog.
(1) Lanzetti M, et al. Mate tea ameliorates emphysema in cigarette smoke-exposed mice. Experimental Lung Research. 2011 Jan 6. [Epub ahead of print].
1 comment:
This is a very interesting study. Yerba Mate is excellent and has a lot of health benefits including reduce weight gain in a high fat diet, lower cholesterol, is a good detoxifier, produces deeper sleep and boosts the immune system. Adding anti-inflamatory to that list of benefits makes it even more desirable.
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