Have you ever considered trying Unimate? Unimate is a dietary supplement sold by Unicity, an international multi-level marketing company. It comes as an individually packaged powder mix to be combined with water. Unicity often recommends combining Unimate with Balance and intermittent fasting (16-hour fast).
What is Unimate?
Unimate is a dietary supplement made by Unicity. It’s a powder that’s packaged in a single-serve, convenient packet. The main ingredient in Unicity Unimate is yerba mate. This product claims that its unique process results in higher levels of beneficial compounds compared to traditional yerba mate. Unicity claims that their unique process creates essentially a more concentrated form of yerba mate.
Key Ingredients
Breaking down the ingredients of Unicity Unimate is relatively straightforward since the only ingredient is Green Mate Leaf Extract Powder. The ingredients in Unimate are simple: green mate leaf extract powder aka yerba mate. The result is a yerba mate beverage that contains about 10 times the amount of chlorogenic acid found in a typical cup of coffee.
Yerba mate is a traditional beverage consumed for centuries in South America. Similar to coffee and other teas, yerba mate is rich in antioxidants and other bioactive compounds that may be health-promoting. Yerba mate is particularly high in a type of polyphenol called chlorogenic acid. It’s a rich source of chlorogenic acids, theobromine, mate saponins, and antioxidants.
- Chlorogenic Acid: Known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, chlorogenic acid also plays a crucial role in lipid and glucose metabolism. Essentially, chlorogenic acid may help to improve insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels, promote weight loss, and lower cholesterol levels. They have important biological effects, including supporting healthy blood pressure, supporting healthy brain function, and promoting an improved mood.
- Theobromine: A naturally occurring compound in certain foods like cocoa, green tea, black tea, and yerba mate. Theobromine can increase physical energy levels, mood, mental alertness, and focus. Theobromine is a molecule that is similar in structure to caffeine. It is perhaps best known as the mood-boosting molecule found in high-quality chocolate. Theobromine promotes feelings of calm, improves focus, and reduces mental fatigue.
- Mate Saponins: These are another naturally occurring compound in yerba mate. These compounds have anti-inflammatory properties to combat oxidative stress and protect cells from free radicals. Mate saponins are a class of saponin molecules that are specific to the yerba mate plant.
- Caffeine: Yerba mate does contain caffeine naturally. Caffeine can help to improve mental alertness and focus, while creating a burst of energy. Caffeine-sensitive people may experience negative side effects though. At 80 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per cup, yerba mate contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.
Potential Benefits of Yerba Mate
Yerba mate comes from a plant native to South America, where it has been consumed in community rituals for hundreds of years. Naturally rich in antioxidants and nutrients, yerba mate has been traditionally used to promote mental clarity, endurance, appetite control, and an improved mood.
Read also: Does Unimate Help You Lose Weight?
- Antioxidant Properties: Yerba mate contains antioxidant compounds, such as caffeoyl derivatives and polyphenols, which may protect against heart disease. These properties can help protect against oxidative stress. (Long-term oxidative stress can lead to cell and tissue damage and cause problems such as chronic inflammation.)
- Energy and Focus: Caffeine can also affect the levels of certain signaling molecules in your brain, making it particularly beneficial for your mental focus. Additionally, those who regularly consume yerba mate often report that it enhances alertness like coffee but without the jittery side effects. Yerba mate can be your secret weapon. Packed with focus-boosting ingredients, Unimate helps you conquer household chores with laser focus, fight off fatigue for long-lasting energy, and keep up with the kids’ endless demands.
- Physical Performance: Studies shows that caffeine can improve muscle contractions, reduce fatigue, and improve sports performance. Since yerba mate contains a moderate amount of caffeine, those drinking may experience similar physical performance benefits. The two products differ in the types of energy they provide: Unicity Matcha supports physical energy, and Unimate supports mental energy. Matcha increases the amount of energy (ATP) produced, resulting in more cellular energy. Unimate promotes an improved mood, a sense of well-being, and it promotes the feeling that you can accomplish anything.
- Antimicrobial Properties: A 2023 study found that yerba mate had antimicrobial properties that could help protect against strains of bacteria such as E. coli. Nevertheless, more high quality research is still needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of yerba in protection against infections.
- Weight Management: Some research suggests that yerba mate may help support weight management and could be effective in reducing body weight, belly fat, and body mass index.It seems to decrease the total number of fat cells and reduce the amount of fat they hold. Yerba mate may be able to help:decrease the rate of body fat growthreduce weight gainreduce appetitelower blood sugar levelsincrease metabolism, which may increase fat-burningslow down stomach emptying, leading to feelings of fullness, which may help promote weight losslower cholesterol and protect your heart
- Blood Sugar Levels: Research suggests that it may help reduce serum lipids (fat found in the blood). Still, more high quality research is needed to understand how yerba mate may affect blood sugar levels in humans.
- Heart Health: A 2019 study of 119 females with overweight found that daily consumption of yerba mate led to reductions total and LDL (bad) cholesterol over a 12-week period. What’s more, yerba mate also significantly reduced levels of triglycerides when paired with a low calorie diet.
Yerba Mate and Weight Loss
Yerba mate may also be beneficial for weight loss. It contains compounds called methylxanthines, which may promote weight loss by speeding up metabolism, increasing fat oxidation, and increasing the amount of energy your body burns.
Unimate and the "Feel Great" System
Not for nothing either, Unicity recommends their Feel Great system which involves combining Unimate with Balance and intermittent fasting for best results. This is going to combine a restrictive diet with two other Unicity products for a monthly price of $169.
How to Prepare Yerba Mate
Yerba mate is traditionally served in a container called a gourd, also known as a calabash. It’s commonly sipped through a metal straw that has a filter on its lower end to strain out the leaf fragments. To prepare mate, fill the bottom third of the calabash with dried or toasted mate leaves prior to adding hot water. If you do not own a calabash, you can prepare it in a French press. The tea is often served with burnt sugar, lemon juice, or milk and can be topped off with hot water several times before using new leaves to make a new batch. Although traditionally consumed hot, yerba mate may also be served cold, especially in hot climates.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
Yerba mate is unlikely to cause harm to healthy adults who drink it occasionally. However, those who drink it regularly may be at increased risk of several conditions:
- Caffeine Content: The first is caffeine content. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, Unicity’s Unimate may affect that. Because of the way Unimate is processed, it has a higher caffeine content than some traditional yerba mate drinks. Unimate contains anywhere from 80 to 120 mg of caffeine per serving of Unimate. The caffeine in yerba mate can cause side effects. Check with your health care provider before you try this type of tea or any herbal product. Too much caffeine can cause headaches, migraines, and high blood pressure in some individuals.
- Cancer Risk: Another thing to be aware of is that there’s some mixed research that has linked yerba mate to an increased risk of different cancers. This seems to be more true when someone is consuming hot yerba mate drinks (as opposed to warm or cold) or using the same yerba mate leaves over and over again. Using the same yerba mate leaves over and over again is not a concern when it comes to Unimate since they’re designed as single serving packets. Again, the research on all of this is very mixed - with some research studies finding an increased risk of cancer and some studies showing that yerba mate has anti-cancer properties. Studies show that drinking large amounts of yerba mate for a long time may increase your risk of upper respiratory and digestive tract cancers.
- Medication Interactions: Finally, yerba mate may interact with the use of common prescription medications such as birth control pills and antidiabetes medications like Metformin. It may also interact with alcohol consumption. Studies show that yerba mate may interact with the muscle relaxant Zanaflex or the antidepressant Luvox.
Unimate vs. Traditional Yerba Mate
Based on the way Unimate is processed, you could theorize that the Unicity Unimate drink mix would probably give you better results than traditional yerba mate drinks since it’s higher in chlorogenic acid. Will the traditional yerba mate drinks or teas yield the same potential benefits as Unicity Unimate? Of course, the yerba mate tea options above may not be as potent as Unicity Unimate.
Read also: Benefits of Unimate: A Deep Dive
Unimate vs. Ozempic
Yerba mate is not the same as the prescription drug Ozempic. But it may have potential benefits for cardiovascular health, blood sugar management, and weight loss. Yerba mate is a herbal tea that may have antidiabetic and weight loss effects. Ozempic is a prescription medication that’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the following uses in adults with type 2 diabetes:managing blood sugar levelslowering the risk of serious cardiovascular problems in people who also have cardiovascular diseaselowering the risk of worsening kidney disease and death from cardiovascular disease in people who also have chronic kidney disease
Yerba mate is a herbal tea, whereas Ozempic is a prescription injection. The FDA does not approve the safety or effectiveness of any herbs or supplements. It also does not approve herbs or supplements for the treatment or prevention of disease. On the other hand, Ozempic is FDA approved for use in people with type 2 diabetes to help:manage blood sugar levelslower the risk of serious cardiovascular problems in people who also have cardiovascular diseaselower the risk of worsening kidney disease and death from cardiovascular disease in people who also have chronic kidney disease Sometimes, doctors may prescribe Ozempic off-label for weight loss. (Off-label use is when doctors prescribe a drug for a purpose other than what it’s approved for.)
Yerba mate may also have antidiabetic, weight loss, and cardiovascular protective effects. According to a 2019 research review, yerba mate may be beneficial for diabetes, as it has been shown to increase GLP-1 levels in mice significantly. And according to a 2021 review, yerba mate may have antidiabetic and weight loss effects. Green teas such as yerba mate are not the same as Ozempic, but research suggests that green tea extract may significantly increase GLP-1 levels and improve insulin resistance.
Yerba mate is generally not considered harmful to the kidneys and may offer protective effects. However, it’s important to note that excessive consumption of yerba mate has been associated with kidney cancer. If you have chronic kidney disease, be sure to talk with your doctor about whether yerba mate consumption is safe for you.
There is not enough evidence to know whether it is safe to take yerba mate with Ozempic. Before taking any supplements or herbs with Ozempic, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure it’s safe for you to do so.
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Yerba mate may affect your blood sugar levels, and Ozempic is approved to help manage blood sugar levels. Because both products can affect your blood sugar levels, it would be important to monitor your levels to prevent them from dropping too low if you were to take them together. Low blood sugar can cause symptoms such as tiredness, sweating, and shaking. This applies whether or not you have diabetes. Also, both Ozempic and yerba mate may reduce appetite. If you have a reduced appetite, it’s important to make sure you’re still getting enough nutrients.
If you have questions about taking yerba mate with Ozempic, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Ozempic is an FDA-approved medication for managing blood sugar levels and lowering the risk of cardiovascular events in certain people. Weight loss is a possible off-label use of Ozempic. Yerba mate is a herbal tea. It is not a replacement for Ozempic, but it may have potential benefits for diabetes management, weight loss, and cardiovascular health. You can talk with your doctor about whether yerba mate may be a safe and beneficial option for you. Also, be sure to talk with your doctor about all the medications, supplements, and herbs you are taking before you start any new medication.
Considerations Before Trying Unimate
- Third-Party Testing: The supplement industry is not regulated in the same way that the food industry is. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate or approve of any dietary supplements, their labeling, or health claims. It’s not uncommon to find supplements on the market that don’t actually have what they’re advertising inside their supplements.
- Cost: This is absolutely the biggest con in my opinion. This will last you 15 to 30 days depending on whether you take 1 or 2 doses daily per manufacturer instructions. If you purchase the Feel Great system, you’ll be paying about $159 per month.
- Multi-Level Marketing: Unicity is a direct-sales company that uses multi-level marketing to promote their products.
- Pregnancy and Nursing: Unicity does not test products on children, pregnant women, or nursing women. Therefore, Unicity cannot recommend usage for these demographics.
Is Unimate Worth It?
While Unicity Unimate may provide some health benefits, is it worth the significant cost compared to traditional yerba mate options? Maybe? Maybe not?