Yerba mate extract and muscle strength in active men
What it found
In 10 physically active men, drinking 3 g of yerba mate extract one hour before strength tests did not change the weight they could lift.
The authors say acute yerba mate likely does not affect muscle strength.
What they found
Studies in people
Leg press strength
In the leg press test, the average weight lifted was 225 kg after yerba mate and 223 kg after placebo. The difference was not significant.
Bench press strength
In the bench press test, the average weight lifted was 59.5 kg after both yerba mate and placebo. There was no difference.
Side effects
No side effects were reported by the participants during the study.
Sleep and temperature
Participants slept an average of 6.7 hours per day, below the recommended seven or more. The average temperature on test days was 26.8 °C, and participants reported feeling heat during the tests.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, acute intake of YM did not change muscle strength in physically active men.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that "acute intake of YM did not change muscle strength in physically active men."
- They recommend further studies with a larger sample size and control for bias, to measure inflammatory markers and yerba mate compounds, and to test different caffeine concentrations and timing.
How it was done
The authors note that polyphenol supplements may help during exercise, but there was no evidence that yerba mate increases muscle strength. They wanted to test its effect on muscle strength after a strength test.
Ten men with at least two months of resistance training experience took part in a crossover trial. They drank either 3 g of soluble yerba mate or a placebo in 250 mL of cold water, then waited one hour before doing one-repetition maximum tests on bench press and leg press. Each man did both drinks, with a 14-day washout between them.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a small pilot study in 10 men, so the results may not apply to women, other age groups, or people with different training backgrounds.
- The study only looked at one dose of yerba mate taken one hour before exercise, so it cannot show what other doses or longer-term use might do.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Federal University of Goiás, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Acute Supplementation of Yerba Mate Extract Did Not Change Muscle Strength in Physically Active Men Following the Strength Muscle Test: A Pilot Clinical Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Lobo PCB, da Silva DD, Pimentel GD (2022). Acute Supplementation of Yerba Mate Extract Did Not Change Muscle Strength in Physically Active Men Following the Strength Muscle Test: A Pilot Clinical Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14132619Free full textPubMed 35807800DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error