How is the stimulant in mate tea different from caffeine?
Posted by Caffe | Posted in Diet & Fitness | Posted on 06-03-2010
Tagged Under : Heart Attack, Heart Rhythm, Stimulant
Lawrence asked:
I recently had a heart attack, and the doctors tell me caffeine can affect the heart’s rhythm.
I recently had a heart attack, and the doctors tell me caffeine can affect the heart’s rhythm.
I have been told that mate tea contains a stimulant similar to caffeine, but not the same and it doesn’t make you as jittery.
Does anyone know how the mate stimulant is different from regular caffeine?
It is chemically different, but acts on the same receptors. I belive it is a xanthine alkaloid analog called “mateine.” And when I say “Chemically different” I mean that its pretty much the same thing, but with a OH or Methyl group shuffled around probably.
Teas also contain something called L-Theanine which helps to “modulate” the effect of caffeine, lessening their effects.
If you have a cardiac history, perhaps you should just stay away from teas and coffees? I dont know the research on mate and cardiac problems.
It contains mateine instead of caffeine but later they found that mateine is caffeine. But caffeine affects you differently depending on the food it is in. So yerba mate affects you differently and increases concentration and does not make you jittery. Organic is better than with pesticides. See site below for more on this and other botanicals from the rainforest.