Step 1:
Take 1-1.5 tsp or 3-5 capsules per day of Maca for Women with breakfast or lunch. Minimum suggested treatment time is 6-12 weeks. Beyond this you may continue to consume maca daily and do not require taking a break from treatment if you are receiving positive benefits. For recipe ideas of how to include maca in your daily routine download our recipe booklet here or watch our recipe channel here.

The Olympic games inspire viewers to try new sports or activities ^1,2. While not everyone will become Olympians, individuals develop personal goals to improve their athletic performance, from running a 5km race to joining a soccer team for the first time.

One of the most popular sports is running. According to Strava, 36 million athletes from around the world ran 6.67 billion miles in 2017 ³. Whether your goal is to complete your first 5km race, run a marathon, or improve your finish time, runners strive to boost their athletic performance.

As athletes participate in activities, they begin to experience muscle fatigue or the inability to complete specific motor tasks ^4-6. For runners, this may manifest in a decreased running speed at the end of a race or poor running form. In part, this is due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skeletal muscle and build up of lactic acid ^7,8. During physical activity, skeletal muscles contract leading to an increase in metabolism and thus an increase in the production of ROS. Overproduction of ROS can lead to ^7,8:

• tissue damage
• DNA damage
• cell death
• decreased muscle contractility
• muscle damage

Antioxidants counteract the damage caused by ROS production. There are two general categories of antioxidants, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, that work to balance out ROS production. Antioxidants can be naturally produced by the body or absorbed through foods such as fruits and vegetables or natural supplements. For optimal performance, it is vital to properly balance the production of ROS and antioxidants ^9,10. For athletes looking for the competitive edge or those seeking more stamina and endurance during workouts the Peruvian medicinal root Lepidium meyenni (maca) may offer some therapeutic benefit. Traditionally maca roots were used by incan warriors to help them run and fight at high altitudes (4000m above sea-level), where oxygen levels are only 40% of that at sea-level. Exercise under such hypoxic conditions can be challenging on the body but they believed maca gave them more stamina, endurance and allowed them to cover greater distances than before. It would be traditionally sun-dried and then boiled into broths and teas to be consumed before exercise or physical activity.

Recent studies suggest that the root plant, Lepidium meyenni (maca), may be able to enhance athletic performance ^11-13. Maca is a Peruvian plant that grows in high elevation in the Andes mountains and has been used as a natural remedy to enhance fertility for centuries ^14-16. Multiple studies over the past decade highlight the diverse function as maca can strengthen cognitive function, treat depression, and provide multiple health benefits ^17-20.

Multiple groups have tested the effects of maca on athletic performance. Wistar rats treated with increasing doses of maca extract lengthened their swimming duration, suggesting an increase in endurance ²¹^,22. Maca treatment also led to a rise in GSH-Px and muscle glycogen, two important antioxidants, suggesting that maca may augment muscle antioxidant activity ²¹. Several antioxidant compounds in maca contribute to combatting ROS ²³. Other studies demonstrated that treatment with macamides, isolated molecules from maca, or treatment with maca powder also strengthened endurance and decreased fatigue ^12,13. In laboratory and clinical studies, maca increased physical performance during sexual activity ^24,25. Maca treatment prevented skeletal muscle damage, further suggesting that maca may improve athletic performance through multiple mechanisms ¹². The black maca variant improved lipid and glucose metabolism and reduced lipogenesis, thereby increasing an innate capacity to perform and promoting overall fitness²⁶.

If you are an Olympic athlete or trying to improve your record in running, maca may be useful to enhance your athletic performance. These studies indicate maca may increase endurance and decrease fatigue by protecting against skeletal muscle damage, providing increasing antioxidant production and activating your metabolism.