Interest of mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) as a new natural functional food to preserve human cardiovascular health – A review

• Available data on the mate (Ilex paraguariensis) activity for cardiovascular health are summarized.
• The mate (I. paraguariensis) as a polyphenol rich food is considered.
• The interest for mate phenolic compounds to minimize some cardiovascular risk factors is discussed.
• The challenges for the research and development of new mate products for cardiovascular health are discussed.

Mate or yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) is a native plant from South America regionally highly consumed. Different traditional products (mate, mate tea, chimarrao, tereré) are obtained from the yerba-mate leaves and consumed as herbal tea. Mate is a rich source of bioactive phenolic compounds, mainly caffeoylquinic acids. The wealth of different mono- and dicaffeoylquinic acids is a peculiarity of products derived from mate. However, in contrast to other plant-based beverages rich in polyphenols like tea or coffee, the research and the industry have yet little explored the potential interest of mate product to promote human health. To face the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) a growing interest is assigned to the development of healthier foods, especially those naturally rich in bioactive phenolic compounds with protective effects against the development of chronic diseases. In this respect, this review summarizes the available data on the use of mate, its phytochemical composition and scientific findings from pre-clinical and clinical studies related to cardiovascular health. These studies suggest that consumption of mate and its phenolic compounds may contribute to minimizing some cardiovascular risk factors. In addition to the scientific information produced to date, the current limitations and possibilities to consider the mate as a raw material for functional foods are discussed. Thus, based on the analysis of the limits of available knowledge, new avenues are proposed for future research in the field of mate, functional aspects and cardiovascular health.