A Dietitian’s Review of Unicity Unimate: Worth It? 

Have you been tempted to pull the trigger on Unicity Unimate? I’ve been seeing this dietary supplement talked about all over the place – but can it really live up to the hype? 

As a registered dietitian, I’m breaking down the science behind this supplement and giving you my full and honest Unicity Unimate review. 

What Is Unicity Unimate? 

Unimate is a dietary supplement made by the company Unicity. Unicity is an international multi-level marketing company. It’s also available to purchase on Amazon and through the Unicity website.

According to its website, Unicity Unimate is a high-quality, purified, ultra-concentrated yerba mate drink mix. It’s available in three different flavors depending on your taste preferences. 

This supplement is an individually packaged powder mix that you mix with water. The website advises that you take 2 servings of Unimate daily, once when you wake up and another before your first meal of the day. To make it, vigorously mix each stick pack with 17-24 oz (500-700 mL) of hot or cold water and drink immediately. 

Unimate is often recommended to be combined with another Unicity product called Balance and an intermittent fasting (16 hour fast) eating pattern. This is called their Feel Great system.

Read my full review on Unicity Balance here.

Health Claims Made By Unicity Unimate

According to its website, Unicity Unimate is a high-quality, purified, ultra-concentrated yerba mate drink mix. It’s a rich source of chlorogenic acids, theobromine, mate saponins, and antioxidants. Unicity boasts that Unimate tea comes in convenient single-serving packets and has no added sugar since it’s sweetened with stevia. 

Unicity claims that Unimate is ideal for:

• Entrepreneurs, business people, super moms, and super dads
• Athletes
• College students

The Unicity website claims that the benefits of Unimate include:

• Supports feelings of well-being
• Supports healthy cognitive processes
• Helps maintain endurance and stamina
• Promotes satiety
• Supports weight-management efforts
• Promotes the body’s ketone production

Alright, let’s talk about what’s actually in this supplement and what the science says.

Unicity Unimate Supplement Facts

Breaking down the ingredients of Unicity Unimate are relatively straightforward since the only ingredient is Green Mate Leaf Extract Powder. Other ingredients that are used as preservatives and flavoring agents are: citric acid, natural flavors, sodium gluconate, and stevia leaf extract. 

To understand Unimate, we need to understand green mate leaf extract (aka yerba mate). 

What is Yerba Mate?

Yerba mate is a traditional beverage that has been consumed for centuries in South America. It’s made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis, a South American native plant.

Let’s talk about some of the key compounds found in yerba mate that are thought to contribute to its’ health benefits. 

Chlorogenic Acid

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. Chlorogenic acid is also found in lesser amounts in coffee and green tea, and is thought to be the reason behind their health benefits.

Chlorogenic acid is known for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It 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. Chlorogenic acid is also a known central nervous system stimulator (1). 

Theobromine

Another compound that Unimate praises is the theobromine content in yerba mate. Theobromine is a naturally occurring compound in certain foods like cocoa, green tea, black tea, and yerba mate. It belongs to the same family of compounds as caffeine and is known for its mild stimulant effects (2).

Theobromine can increase physical energy levels, mood, mental alertness and focus. It has similar effects as caffeine, albeit, without the negative side effects that caffeine can have such as jitters. 

Mate Saponins

These are another naturally occurring compound in yerba mate. Mate saponins are responsible for the bitter taste or flavor of yerba mate. 

These compounds have anti-inflammatory properties to combat oxidative stress and protect cells from free radicals. Mate saponins can lower cholesterol levels and they may also aid in weight management, particularly through appetite suppression and abdominal fat loss (3, 4).

Caffeine

Yerba mate does contain caffeine naturally. Caffeine is well known to the general public for its presence in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks. 

Caffeine can help to improve mental alertness and focus, while creating a burst of energy. Some people experience appetite suppression with caffeine intake since it can alter certain hunger hormones. 

Caffeine-sensitive people may experience negative side effects though. Common side effects of caffeine include anxiety, feeling jittery, insomnia, and rapid heart rate.  

Additionally, some compounds that are rich in yerba mate leaves may help to improve the diversity of the gut microbiome (5). The gut microbiome plays an important role in gut health, overall health, and the risk of chronic disease. 

Alright, let’s round all these facts up and talk about yerba mate as a whole and the Unimate product specifically.

Unimate: Green Mate Leaf Extract Powder 3 grams 

The ingredients in Unimate are simple: green mate leaf extract powder aka yerba mate. There are some additional ingredients such as natural flavors and stevia to sweeten it, but the active ingredient is yerba mate. 

Research does support that yerba mate can be effective for a variety of reasons. 

A recent systemic review found that yerba maté can improve: 

• Metabolism 
• Insulin resistance
• Anti-inflammatory activities and lower inflammation 
• Body weight and body composition
• Exercise performance and physical endurance
• Mood
• Appetite regulation

Yerba mate can also offer protective benefits for healthy brain function and cardiovascular health. 

Unicity Unimate prides itself on being different from traditional yerba mate drinks because of its special five-step procedure. 

According to their website: “Unimate is uniquely powerful thanks to Unicity’s original five-step process: handpicking, fire roasting, active biological molecule extraction, yerba mate concentration, and purification. The result is a yerba mate beverage that contains about 10 times the amount of chlorogenic acid found in a typical cup of coffee. And because we concentrate this important compound from the yerba mate plant extract, Unimate contains an average of 20 times more chlorogenic acid than other commercially available yerba mate drinks, too.”

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. In reality, we don’t know if that’s true or not considering there aren’t any independent studies, to my knowledge, that have tested this theory.  

Potential Downsides of Unimate and Yerba Mate

While the health benefits of yerba mate and Unimate all seem positive, there are some potential downsides and things to be aware of when it comes to yerba mate. 

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. For comparison, the amount of caffeine in an 8oz cup of coffee is usually about 90mg of caffeine. 

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 (6, 7). 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. Ultimately, more research is needed. 

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. Always speak to your healthcare provider before starting any new dietary supplements, including Unicity Unimate or another yerba mate drink. 

Alright, now that we’ve looked at what’s in this supplement, let’s get into the pros and cons of Unicity Unimate. 

Pros of Unicity Unimate

• Third Party Tested. 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. Thankfully, Unicity Unimate dietary supplements are NSF third party tested.

• Convenient. For someone who is looking for a supplement that’s easy to incorporate into their day, these individually packaged supplements make it convenient to take on-the-go or travel with.

• Easy To Mix. Since it’s a powder form, it may be an easy way to get yerba mate into your daily routine.

• Evidence Based. While some supplements make outlandish claims in regards to what their supplements can do, yerba mate and Unicity Unimate do appear to have research studies that back up its’ health claims. 

Cons of Unicity Unimate

• Powder Form. I know this was a pro, but it may be a con for you if you don’t like the idea of mixing powders into your drinks.

• Potency Unknown. While this supplement boasts that their unique process provides higher amounts of beneficial compounds, we don’t necessarily know whether that will provide better results than traditional yerba mate drinks. 

• Multi-Level Marketing. Unicity is a direct-sales company that uses multi-level marketing to promote their products. This may not be a con for you, however, it’s something to be aware of in case this doesn’t align with your values. 

• Cost. This is absolutely the biggest con in my opinion. To purchase Unicity Unimate, either through their website or through Amazon, it will cost you about $115 USD for 30 individual serving packets. 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. Finding lower cost alternatives is remarkably easy and I’ll highlight some options below.

Should I Take Unicity Unimate?

Maybe? Maybe not? The answer will depend on you as an individual and your unique needs and health goals. 

The ingredients in Unicity Unimate, aka yerba mate, do seem to be supported by research to be able to improve focus, mental clarity, energy levels, mood, metabolism, appetite suppression, cholesterol levels and promote weight loss. 

Unicity claims that their unique process creates essentially a more concentrated form of yerba mate. It’s difficult to discern though whether this would actually create more benefits than a traditional yerba mate drink. 

Just to give you some perspective, we know that adequate vitamin C is beneficial for our health but taking large doses of vitamin C isn’t necessarily better since your body will just absorb what it needs and flush the rest out of your body. 

With that said, the ingredients in Unicity Unimate are flavored yerba mate. There are many other yerba mate drink options available on the market. Will the traditional yerba mate drinks or teas yield the same potential benefits as Unicity Unimate? That’s unknown since there aren’t independent studies comparing actual outcomes of Unicity Unimate to traditional yerba mate drinks.

I’m not one to tell you where to spend your money, so if the convenience factor of something like Unicity Unimate aligns with what you want to spend your money on, then go for it. 

Unimate Alternatives

If you’re hesitant about spending over one hundred dollars per month on this supplement, you could consider trying a more affordable traditional yerba mate tea drink first:

• Yerba Mate (Loose Leaf Tea)
• Yerba Mate Tea Bags (100 count)

Of course, the yerba mate tea options above may not be as potent as Unicity Unimate. Then again, when we look at the scientific research behind yerba mate, these types of traditional yerba mate tea options were found to be what yielded positive benefits.

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. These supplements (Unimate & Balance) do have some research to support them but they’re both overpriced in my opinion.

You can read my full thoughts on Unicity Balance here.  

The Bottom Line

Unimate is a dietary supplement made by the company Unicity. It’s a powder that’s packaged in a single-serve, convenient packet. The main ingredient in Unicity Unimate is yerba mate. Yerba mate is a traditional South American drink made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. 

Research does support that yerba mate, which is found within Unicity Unimate, can help with a variety of health issues such as improving focus, mental clarity, energy levels, mood, metabolism, appetite suppression, cholesterol levels and promoting weight loss. 

This product claims that its unique process results in higher levels of beneficial compounds compared to traditional yerba mate. Here’s the thing though: we don’t know if that necessarily equates to better results compared to traditional yerba mate options. 

Traditional yerba mate drinks, like this yerba mate tea bag option and this yerba mate loose leaf tea option, are what research was typically conducted with and cost significantly less than what Unicity Unimate charges. 

While Unicity Unimate may provide some health benefits, is it worth the significant cost compared to traditional yerba mate options? In my opinion, no. 

You should always discuss with your healthcare provider before starting any new dietary supplements.

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Disclosure: this is for informational purposes only. It does not substitute for or replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your medical doctor or registered dietitian for personalized recommendations.