Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (III) Clinical responses of early-postmenopausal women to Maca in double blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled, crossover configuration, outpatient study

Meissner HO, Mscisz A, Reich-Bilinska H, Mrozikiewicz P, Bobkiewicz-Kozlowska T, Kedzia B, et al.

Published in Int J Biomed Sci, Vol. 2 (4), pp. 375-94

Methodology

Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover outpatient trial over four months in early-postmenopausal Caucasian women (oestradiol below 40 pg/ml and FSH above 30 IU/ml), taking 2 g a day of pre-gelatinised maca (two 500 mg capsules twice daily with meals) or placebo. Hormones, lipids, minerals, BMI, blood pressure and Greene and Kupperman symptom scores were measured monthly; bone markers in 12 women.

Key Findings

After two months, maca raised oestradiol and suppressed FSH, T3, ACTH and cortisol (P < 0.05), lowered BMI, raised LDL and blood iron, and relieved menopausal symptoms (P < 0.001), hot flushes and night sweating in particular. The authors reported increased bone density markers.

Conclusions

The authors concluded that the maca preparation balanced hormone levels and relieved menopausal discomfort, offering a non-hormonal alternative to hormone therapy.

Limitations

Small; the abstract reports 34 women but two groups of 11; same research group and preparation as the other trials of this product; no independent replication of the hormone findings, which two independent trials did not see.