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25.01.2025

Maca activates the immune system during intensive training

Supplementing with just over 4 grams of maca per day may protect athletes from viruses and other pathogens. According to a human study published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, maca may prevent the immune system from temporarily slumping after intense exercise.

Study
Researchers from Taipei Medical University divided 20 healthy young men into 2 groups. For 12 weeks, the men in one group were given a placebo every day, the men in the other group were given a dose of 2.25 grams of maca twice a day. The men took the first dose with breakfast and the second dose after dinner.

The Taiwanese used a product from Panion & BF Biotech. As far as we have been able to determine, it is a highly processed powder.

On the last day of the experiment, the men had to run on a treadmill at high speed until they literally could not go any further. Just before and after the exhaustive endurance exercise, the researchers took a small amount of their subjects' blood - in which they measured the activity of the immune system.

Results
The first four hours after exercise, the concentration of white blood cells - the immune cells, so to speak - in the blood was increased. After this period, the concentration dropped. Supplementation had no effect.

There was a shift within the immune cells. The ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ immune cells dropped right after the session. Immunologists use this ratio to estimate the quality of the immune system.

The temporary dip you see above is not alarming, but does suggest that the men are temporarily more susceptible to infection with a virus or other pathogen right after their session.

Maca supplementation did not affect the CD4+ to CD8+ ratio, but it did affect the release of interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma]. Maca increased the release of interferon-gamma after the session. The increased release in the supplementation group may therefore mean that maca helps prevent athletes who train hard from getting sick.

Conclusion
"Maca supplementation may be a useful strategy for athletes seeking to enhance immune function, particularly during periods of intense training or competition", write the researchers.

"We recommend a dosage of 2.25 g of maca extract taken twice daily, ideally incorporated into a balanced diet, for a minimum of 12 weeks to achieve measurable benefits in interferon-gamma secretion."

Source:
Int J Med Sci. 2025 Jan 1;22(2):398-408.

More:
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Chlorella boosts immune system during heavy physical exercise 27.11.2017
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