Can Yerba Mate Help With Weight Loss?

People in Lebanon ask us this one all the time, so here is the plain version: what the research can and cannot tell you, what a cup of mate actually offers, and how to drink it sensibly if you want to try it.

What is yerba mate?

Yerba mate is made from the dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis, a tree native to South America. Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil drink it every day. In Lebanon and Syria, where people simply call it mate, it has its own habits and its own way of being prepared. The leaves are steeped in hot or cold water and sipped through a bombilla, a metal straw with a filter tip.

It tastes earthy, a little bitter and herbal. It naturally contains caffeine and plant compounds such as polyphenols. If you want the full background, start with What Is Yerba Mate?

What the research found

Here are the main studies, in plain language, with what each one can and cannot tell you.

1. Fat burning during exercise: a small trial with a clear result

In a 2014 randomised crossover trial published in Nutrition & Metabolism, 14 healthy adults took 1,000 mg of yerba mate in capsules or a placebo 60 minutes before exercise tests. With mate, they burned about 24% more fat at low to moderate exercise intensities. Peak performance did not change. Read the study (Alkhatib, 2014).

The catch: only 14 people, a single dose, a capsule rather than a brewed cup, and measurements during a short lab test. It shows what happened in that test. It does not show that drinking mate leads to weight loss.

2. Hunger and fat burning in women: a small study with positive signals

A 2017 randomised study in Nutrients gave 12 healthy, active women 2 g of yerba mate or a placebo, then had them cycle for 30 minutes. With mate, fat burning during the ride was higher (0.21 versus 0.17 g per minute), and the women rated their hunger, urge to eat and desire to eat lower. Read the study (Alkhatib and Atcheson, 2017).

The catch: only 12 women, one 2 g dose and one session. Hunger ratings are subjective, and the study cannot tell us what happens over weeks of daily drinking.

3. Body weight and waist size: two meta-analyses that disagree

A meta-analysis pools many studies to look for an overall pattern, and the two most relevant ones point in different directions:

• A 2019 analysis of 22 clinical trials and 726 participants in the Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences found that mate consumption was associated with reductions in body weight, BMI and waist circumference. Read it (Luís et al., 2019).
• A 2025 analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials in Frontiers in Endocrinology did not find a clear effect on BMI or waist circumference, and rated the certainty of most of its results as low. Read it (Li et al., 2025).

When careful reviews disagree, the honest summary is that the effect, if it exists, is small and uncertain.

4. Blood sugar markers: promising, but thin

The same 2025 review reported lower post-meal blood glucose, HbA1c and an insulin-resistance index with mate. Those results rest on only two trials, both from the same research team, and the authors say more research is needed. It is a topic for doctors and researchers, not a reason to change what you drink.

How to read all of this

• Many studies use extracts or capsules, which are not the same as a cup of brewed leaves.
• Most trials are short and small, and several used different doses, so results are hard to compare.
• Nothing here shows that drinking mate causes weight loss. At most, the evidence suggests small effects that are not yet settled.

That is why we do not promise results. We share what the studies found, and you decide.

What a cup of mate does offer

• Natural caffeine. Many people choose mate as an alternative to coffee because they like how it feels to drink and how long the cup lasts.
• Almost no calories when brewed plain. What changes that is what you add: sugar, syrups and sweetened mixes.
• Flexibility. Hot in winter, cold as tereré in summer, in a thermos for the day.
• A slow drink. One load of leaves is refilled many times, which makes it a different habit from a quick espresso.

Yerba mate, coffee and green tea side by side

All three drinks contain caffeine, and how much you get depends on how much leaf or coffee you use, the water temperature and how long it steeps. A strong cup of any of them can contain more than a weak cup of another, so we are not putting numbers on it.

For more on caffeine in mate, see What Is Yerba Mate? and our guide to mate in Lebanon.

How to drink it sensibly

1. Drink it plain first. Sugar and syrups turn a near-zero-calorie drink into a sweet one. If you need something at the start, add a small amount and cut back over time.
2. Replace, do not stack. If you already drink two or three coffees a day, swapping one for mate is simpler than adding mate on top and doubling your caffeine.
3. Mind the clock. Caffeine late in the day can affect sleep. Try mate in the morning or early afternoon.
4. Do not use boiling water. Water around 70–80°C, below boiling, tastes better and is gentler on the leaves. Our preparation guide shows hot and cold step by step.
5. Start with one or two cups and see how you feel.

Who should be careful

• If you are sensitive to caffeine, mate can cause restlessness, a racing heart or poor sleep, especially in large amounts.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor how much caffeine is right for you.
• If you have iron deficiency or take medication, ask your doctor. Tea-like drinks contain tannins, which can reduce how well some iron is absorbed, so people with low iron are often advised to drink them between meals.
• Very hot drinks. In 2016 the World Health Organization's cancer agency (IARC) classified drinking very hot beverages, above 65°C, as probably carcinogenic to humans. For mate drunk at temperatures that are not very hot, it found the evidence did not allow a conclusion. The concern is the temperature, which is another reason to let the water cool a little. Read the IARC summary.

This article is general information, not medical advice. See our health disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

Does yerba mate burn belly fat?

No. No drink targets fat in one part of the body, and we do not claim that mate does anything like it.

Does research show yerba mate helps with weight loss?

Some studies and one 2019 meta-analysis point to small reductions in weight and waist size, and a small trial found more fat burned during exercise. A 2025 meta-analysis did not find a clear effect on BMI. So the research is encouraging in places and unsettled overall.

Is yerba mate a weight-loss supplement?

No. It is a drink made from dried leaves. It is not a supplement, a treatment or a diet product.

How much caffeine is in yerba mate?

It varies a lot with how much leaf you use, the water temperature and how long you steep, so there is no single number. The same leaves can be refilled several times, which spreads the caffeine across a longer session.

Can I drink it every day?

Many healthy adults do. Start with one cup, build to two, and keep the water below boiling. Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication.

Where can I buy yerba mate in Lebanon?

You can order Sherba's loose-leaf mate online with delivery across Lebanon. The buying guide for Lebanon covers delivery, payment and where to start.

The honest bottom line

The research on yerba mate and body weight is real, partly encouraging and not settled. Small effects have been seen in some studies, and not in others. What mate reliably gives you is a naturally caffeinated, low-calorie drink with a long tradition behind it, and a better habit than a sweet one if that is what it replaces. We would rather say that plainly than sell you a promise. If that sounds useful, the easiest way to find out is to start simple.