A recent study regarding mate tea has brought attention back to the beverage that Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi reportedly consumes before every match, revealing a link to cancer despite its known benefits. Traditionally served in a gourd and consumed through a metal straw, mate tea has been widely promoted for its high antioxidant content. It is often compared to green tea, with some sources claiming it contains 90% more antioxidants than green tea.
**Cancer Risk**
Despite boasting minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, studies have indicated that mate tea may increase the risk of certain types of cancer. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center explained that high doses and prolonged use of mate tea are associated with an elevated risk of prostate, bladder, mouth, esophageal, lung, head, and neck cancers. It also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are also found in grilled meats and tobacco smoke.
**Severe Effects on the Immune System**
Research has shown that exposure to carcinogenic substances can have serious effects on the immune, reproductive, and nervous systems. It can also lead to developmental effects and increase cancer risk, according to Healthline. In an early study conducted in Uruguay, researchers found that heavy consumption of mate was associated with a 60% higher risk of lung cancer compared to individuals who consume alcohol. The study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, involved a sample of 1,000 adults from Uruguay.
**Respiratory and Digestive Cancer**
The results indicated that the drink might increase a person's risk of respiratory or digestive cancer. They also revealed that patients were more likely to develop small cell lung cancer, a less common form of the disease. While small cell lung cancer is strongly associated with smoking, the researchers controlled for this variable in their study. The findings led the authors to suggest that mate consumption could account for up to one in five cases of these cancers in South America. These findings were consistent with additional research published in the same journal in 2003, which examined a sample of 800 adults and indicated that drinking mate could triple the risk of esophageal cancer.
**More Harmful than Smoking**
In a research paper published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology in 2012, researchers explained that "recent evidence suggests that drinking mate may be a significant source of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, possibly causing exposure equivalent to smoking tobacco." They added that "assuming an average use of 50 grams of leaves per cup, consuming an average serving of traditional mate would expose the consumer to the equivalent content of one hundred cigarettes (five packs)."
It is noteworthy that while the findings serve as a warning for those who consume mate heavily, the evidence is conflicting.
**Counter Studies**
Separate research has identified a range of unique plant compounds in mate tea that may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, the aforementioned results are derived from epidemiological studies, meaning that no causal relationship between mate and cancer has been confirmed. Researchers emphasized that moderate mate consumption is safe, but those who regularly consume large amounts should limit their intake.
