Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Those who lived in high altitudes and took either 3 grams of red or black maca for 12 weeks significantly improved their ability to utilize oxygen and improved symptoms of chronic mountain sickness while those who lived at low altitudes significantly improved their mood and energy levels with maca consumption compared to the respective placebo groups.
Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a plant grown at over 4,000 meters above sea level in Peru. It has been consumed for centuries by those living in the Peruvian Central Andes due to the nutritional and medicinal properties of components called hypocotyls (1). Now, research has started to identify specific health benefits of maca.
A 2016 study (2) involved 94 subjects aged 18 to 65 (male/female breakdown not given) living in low altitude in Lima, Peru (150 meters above sea level). They were given 3 grams of either black maca extract (32 subjects), red maca extract (32 subjects), or placebo (30 subjects) per day for 12 weeks. Another group of 99 subjects living at high altitude in Cerro de Pasco, Peru (4,340 meters above sea level) received 3 grams of either black maca extract (31 subjects), red maca extract (35 subjects), or placebo (33 subjects) for 12 weeks. Before and after the supplementation period, subjects completed questionnaires on their mood, energy, and quality of life and also provided blood samples.
After 12 weeks, the researchers noted a significant improvement in a number of aspects in the subjects:
- Quality of Life Score (3):
| Black Maca Low Altitude | Black Maca High Altitude | Red Maca Low Altitude | Red Maca High Altitude | Placebo Low Altitude | Placebo High Altitude | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8% increase (100 to 107.8) | 11% increase (100 to 111) | 5% increase (100 to 105) | 12% increase (100 to 112) | No Change | 2% increase (100 to 102) | < 0.05 |
- Hemoglobin Concentrations: Significant changes were only seen at high altitudes, with a 7.2% decrease in the black maca group (17.47 to 16.22 grams/deciliter), a 4.6% decrease in the red maca group (18.21 to 17.38 g/dL), and a 0.06% increase in the placebo group (17.80 to 17.91, p < 0.05). The decreases in the maca groups indicate that maca enabled the body to become more efficient at breathing oxygen and not requiring more hemoglobin to function.
- Increases in Energy: When asked whether they either “agree” or “agree strongly” that their supplement gave them an increase in energy after 12 weeks, 95% of those in the red maca group at low altitude answered “Yes” compared to 70% in the black maca group and 27% in the placebo group (p < 0.05). No significance was seen in any of the high altitude groups (p > 0.05).
- Improvement in Mood: When asked whether they either “agree” or “agree strongly” that their supplement improved their mood after 12 weeks, 82% of those in the red maca group answered “Yes” compared to 55% in the black maca group and 35% in the placebo group (p < 0.05). No significance was noted in any of the high altitude groups (p > 0.05).
- Decrease in Mountain Sickness: At high altitude, those in placebo group saw a 0.6-point decrease in their Chronic Mountain Sickness Score compared to a 1.2-point decrease in the black maca group and 2.25-point decrease in the red maca group (p < 0.05).
With no adverse effects noted in any of the groups, the researchers concluded that “The present study has demonstrated that consumption of a spray-dried extract of red and black maca for 12 weeks resulted in an improvement of mood, energy, and health status, and a reduced chronic mountain sickness score” and that “consumption of spray-dried extracts of red and black maca is safe and both have good acceptability, but better at high altitude.”
Source: Gonzalez-Arimborgo C. Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2016 Aug 18;9(3). pii: E49. doi: 10.3390/ph9030049
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Posted September 27, 2016.
Click here to read the full text study.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Valerio, L.; Gonzales, G.F. Toxicological aspects of the South American herbs cat´s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) and Maca (Lepidium meyenii): A critical sypnosis. Toxicol. Rev. 2005, 24, 11–35.
- Gonzalez-Arimborgo C. Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2016 Aug 18;9(3). pii: E49. doi: 10.3390/ph9030049
- Vilagut, G.; Ferrer, M.; Rajmil, L.; Rebollo, P.; Permanyer-Miralda, G.; Quintana, J.M.; Santed, R.; Valderas, J.M.; Ribera, A.; Domingo-Salvany, A.; et al. The Spanish version of the Short Form 36 HealthSurvey: A decade of experience and new developments. Gac. Sanit. 2005, 19, 135–150
