Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
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Yerba maté (mate) tea, a herbal tea prepared from the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis, is widely consumed in southern Latin America, and is gaining popularity worldwide. We investigated effects of an aqueous extract of mate on metabolic syndrome features in a metabolic syndrome model Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetic (TSOD) mouse. Oral administration of mate (100 mg/kg) for 7 weeks induced significant decreases in body weight, body mass index, and food intake in TSOD. ⋯ Furthermore, mate administration induced a dose-dependent delay in gastric emptying. The current data suggest that mate ameliorates metabolic syndrome by mechanisms involving increase of peripheral insulin sensitivity and cellular glucose uptake, and by modulating the level of circulating lipid metabolites and AD. These results indicate that mate can induce protective and ameliorative effects on insulin resistance, diabesity, and dyslipidemia in metabolic syndrome.