Urbamate teas have been consumed for centuries by the South American indigenous peoples,

and today certain regions of Latin America have a quarter day.

So understanding what's in Mate is important, particularly if there are high levels of carcinogenic polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons, including one of the most potent benzyl pyrene, which is known

to be cancer-causing in humans, and is found concentrated in cigarette smoke, grilled and

barbecued meat, and matte.

These carcinogenic compounds are fat-soluble, though, and may not

readily transfer from the mate leaves into the water. Turns out of transfer rates can

be anywhere between 1% to 50%, depending on the brewing method, but levels in

matte leaves are so high that even if about 5% transfers into the tea,

heavy matte consumption could be the benzopyrine equivalent to smoking about four cigarettes.

Each cigarette has about 10 nanograms, so that would be like 40 nanograms,

or the amount of carcinogenic benzopyrine found in about one-tenth of a serving of grilled chicken.

Okay, but a direct comparison between breathing and the chemical versus eating or drinking

it may be inaccurate because we absorb it differently.

Maybe, but when the levels of a breakdown product of these kinds of chemicals was measured

in the urine of smokers versus matte drinkers, those who drank

more than two or four cups of matte a day appeared to have as much of these carcinogens

flowing through their systems as smokers.

Okay, but does this actually translate out into higher cancer rates?

I mean, a mathe has more antioxidant power than green tea, significantly increasing the antioxidant

capacity of the bloodstream to those randomized to drink it. So might the good outweigh the

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