By Drew Mulvey
With the birds chirping and the grass getting greener, it is time that we celebrate with Easter egg hunts and new life. When I think of the Spring, I think of fertility and vitality. The earth is starting to manifest life from seeds and the animals are finding their mates and producing little ones. What was once dormant in the winter months is now starting to blossom. With this in mind, it is time to bring new life and vitality to our bodies. One superfood that comes to mind when I think of these two adjectives is maca. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root cultivated in the Andes Mountains of Peru and has been used for centuries for improving vitality, mood, fertility, and physical strength. Today, maca is widely used for post-workout recovery, enhancing energy and improving hormonal balance and fertility. Is it worth all the hype? There has been some conflicting evidence as to its efficacy. Let’s take a deeper look at this superfood.
Provides Immune Support and Boosts Energy
Maca is classified as an adaptogen, a compound that helps the body to adapt to stress and support immune function. This health-promoting property may also contribute to improving hormonal health and vitality by decreasing our stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a natural anti-inflammatory and we need it in a normal amount, but a significant amount of exposure can cause symptoms such as brain fog, weight loss resistance, and fatigue. With this in mind, it may be beneficial for those in a stress-induced catabolic state such as menopause or for athletes looking to improve recovery from their training. One study done in 2009 demonstrated maca’s ability to improve performance in well-trained cyclists by decreasing 40 km rides.1 Another randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial showed maca contributed to significant improvements in grip strength, which is an indication of overall body strength, and fatigue in a healthy population of men.2 This may be attributed to its content of the polysaccharide fractions MPS-1 and MPS-2 exhibiting a “dose-dependent positive effect on parameters of fatigue.”3
Rich in Beneficial Nutrients
This superfood is loaded with health-enhancing nutrients. Some of these include micronutrients such as calcium, zinc, potassium, and iron. Potassium may have the ability to regulate blood pressure while iron and zinc play a crucial role in immunity, and calcium helps with bone health. Maca is also high in amino acids such as leucine and arginine. Arginine may be a significant contributor to fertility and muscle recovery. This amino acid enhances the production of nitric oxide which increases blood flow and the delivery of nutrients to the muscles and other organs in the body. Leucine is also of particular importance as it is highly concentrated in the gut and can be diminished in times of extreme stress.4
Red, Black or Yellow. What’s the difference?
When looking in fresh bags of maca powder, one would think they all look relatively the same. Yet there are three different types of maca; a yellow variety, a black variety, and a red variety. One of the most influential properties that maca is known for, as noted before, is its effect on hormonal balance and fertility, but it is very dependent on the type as each of these have their own individual properties. In a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done on men aged 20-40, yellow maca powder dosed at 350 mg over 12 weeks demonstrated an increase in sperm count and motility.5 This dose equates to about 1 tsp of maca powder per day. In layman’s terms, yellow maca may have the ability to increase fertility in rather healthy men. Black maca has been used for ailments such as memory loss, brain fog, improved immunity, and joint pain and has also shown to be responsible for increasing sperm count. Red maca appears to have more of an effect on male prostate health.4 Looking to improve fertility? Try the black or yellow variety. Looking to improve mood, energy and cognitive capability? Go with the black variety.
Gelatinized vs. Raw Maca Powder
When you read the labels of these powders there are times where it gives the scientific names but other times it reads “gelatinized”. Gelatinizing entails boiling the maca root at a high temperature. Though heating may potentially destroy some of the nutrients, the quality of the product is not diminished. This process removes the starch from the root, enhances digestibility, which may be a better option for those that suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, and may make the nutrients more bioavailable. Raw maca powder may contain a greater amount of these nutrients but they may not be as absorbable as it’s gelatinized version.6
Search for Quality when Making Your Purchase
The quality of the maca powder will matter. A lot of maca powder has been outsourced to China and has made its way on to the shelves of the consumer. China’s quality standards of far inferior as the use of pesticides and herbicides are allowed, the environment is not ideal for optimal nutritional quality and much of it has been grown in labs. There are so many reasons why we should not be purchasing products from China but maca processed in this way can degrade the quality and have a potentially negative effect on your health. Look for brands that are marked USDA Organic and have been directly sourced from the country of origin, Peru.7,8 Some of my favorite brands are Navitas Organics Maca Powder and TerraSoul Gelatinized Maca Powder. Want more information on what product is best? Check out these websites for rankings on some of the best brands.
https://reviews.orlandosentinel.com/reviews/best-maca-powders.
References
1) Stone, M., Ibarra, A., Roller, M., Zangara, A., Stevenson, E. A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2009. 126:574-576.
2) Jiannine, L.M., & Antonio, J. The Effects of Lepidium Meyenii on Grip Strength, Fatigue, and Sexual Behavior. 2019. Abstract retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Effects-of-Lepidium-Meyenii-on-Grip-Strength-%2C-Jiannine-Antonio/fbea874e2fabeeae16271e2c32fecfae5b1ecfb5.
3) Li, J., Sun, Q., Meng, Q., Wang, L., Xiong, W., & Zhang, L. Anti-fatigue activity of polysaccharide fractions from Lepidium meyenii Walp. (maca). International journal of biological macromolecules. 2017. 95:1305-1311. Abstract retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Anti-fatigue-activity-of-polysaccharide-fractions-Li-Sun/d10822112e642aa6cdc829e8e6b0bada624d452a.
4) Gonzales, G.F. Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands. Evidence-Based and Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2012. 193496. Article retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184420/.
5) Melnikovova, I., Fait, T., Kolarova, M., Fernandez, EC. Milella, L. Effect of Lipidium meyenii Walp. on Semen Parameters and Serum Hormone Levels in Healthy Adult Men: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Evidence-Based and Complimentary Alternative Medicine. 2015. 324369. Article retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4569766/.
6) Michael, A. Getting the right maca supplement. Organic & Wellness News Website. https://www.organicwellnessnews.com/?ArticleID=909. Updated May 24, 2020. Accessed March 31, 2020.
7) Maca has been used for centuries but finding consistent quality sources has proven difficult. NutraIngredients-USA Website. https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/News/Promotional-Features/The-Efficacious-Maca-Root-A-Review-on-Why-Quality-is-Hard-to-Find. Updated May 20, 2019. Accessed March 26, 2020.
8) Black Maca Overview. The Maca Team: Select Peruvian Maca Website. 2020. https://www.themacateam.com/black-maca?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsYb0BRCOARIsAHbLPhGK-63edivizplF2e8J2PMEiLYldP30t4V-AFqhERdndjk8TtSsTHAaAnNdEALw_wcB. Accessed March 30, 2020.
