Not to take you back to freshman year biology class, but it’s time to spotlight one of yerba mate’s biggest health benefits: polyphenols. Found in foods and drinks like teas, chocolate, and fruits, polyphenols are the naturally occurring plant compounds in yerba that are just as powerful as they sound. That’s because they’re packed with antioxidants that help keep you health and protect against various diseases. When the YRBA team set out to find a cleaner, better caffeine source for our pick-me-up, the naturally occurring characteristics of polyphenols are a huge reason that yerba mate was our winning caffeine ingredient.
Polyphenols are made by plants and are considered highly essential functional foods in our daily diets. There are four different groups of polyphenols, and yerba mate hits two of these families: flavonoids and phenolic acids. Understanding these two families helps us break down why yerba mate makes us feel so good and avoid the typical caffeine crash associated with coffee.
Yerba mate leaves mainly include phenolic acids. These polyphenols are readily and easily absorbed through the walls of your intestinal tract, acting as antioxidants that help prevent cellular damage. When consumed readily through sources like yerba mate (*ahem, see YRBA*), they may also promote anti-inflammatory conditions in your body. Lower inflammation is the key to preventing diseases like cancers and helping your body perform optimally.
Flavonoids, our other favorite family of polyphenols, are also super powerful in priming our bodies for prime performance and health. Flavonoids have many medicinal benefits, including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. They also have neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects5. There are over 10,000 types of flavonoids, and many of them are linked to different health benefits. For example, those found in teas are linked with reduced risk of lung cancer. Teas and herbs, as a rich source of flavonoids, also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Beyond all of the science associated with the superpowers behind polyphenols, the proof is in the pudding (or the YRBA can). Drinking caffeine that is a source of antioxidants, healing, and anti-inflammatory will leave you feeling stronger, less jittery, and gut happy versus other sources. That’s part of the magic behind the mystery of why drinking YRBA leaves you feeling overall better than your daily coffee or caffeine alternative. Here’s to embracing the intention behind your ingredients and being smarter about your caffeine.
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