Hormone-Balancing Effect of Pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon): (II) Physiological and Symptomatic Responses of Early-Postmenopausal Women to Standardized doses of Maca in Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Centre Clinical Study

Meissner HO, Mscisz A, Reich-Bilinska H

Published in International Journal of Biomedical Science, Vol. 2 (4), pp. 360-74

Methodology

Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled outpatient study at five sites in 168 early-postmenopausal women over 49 (FSH above 30 IU/ml and oestradiol below 40 pg/ml), allocated to placebo or 2 g a day of pre-gelatinised maca (two 500 mg capsules twice daily with meals) in monthly treatment sequences set per site, for three months (Trial I, n = 102) or four months (Trial II, n = 66). Hormones, lipids and the Greene and Kupperman symptom scores were measured monthly.

Key Findings

124 women completed the study. Maca raised oestradiol (P < 0.001), suppressed FSH (P < 0.05), raised HDL (P < 0.05), and reduced the frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms, hot flushes and night sweating in particular, with the Kupperman index falling from 22 to 10 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The authors presented the preparation as a non-hormonal plant alternative to hormone therapy for early-postmenopausal women.

Limitations

About a quarter of the women did not complete; site-specific treatment sequences make the design hard to judge from the abstract; same research group and preparation as the other trials of this product; the hormone changes were not seen in two independent trials.