If you have ever googled testosterone boosting supplements or herbs that can help increase testosterone. I imagine you will have seen at least one thing about Maca and testosterone. More specifically maca root and testosterone. So does maca increase testosterone? You can find out the truth by reading on!
Claimed Health Benefits Of Maca
If you haven’t heard of Maca before, you may know it as Lepdium meyenn or Peruvian Ginseng. It’s actually a type of cruciferous vegetable (similar to spinach & Kale). Maca is grown in the Andes mountains & the roots have been historically used in these communities for a number of remedies.
It’s been said to be an adapotogenic. Helping the body adapt to certain stressors. While Maca and testosterone production are often linked together. There are also said to be a number of other health benefits associated with Maca. Most are yet to be proved but some alleged benefits are as follows.
- Improved memory
- Improved concentration
- Reduced prostate size
- Increased muscle mass
- Increased strength
As implied above, much like with Maca and testosterone. There isn’t any clinical evidence that Maca can help improve the above for humans. The claimed benefits for cognition (concentration & memory) & prostate health are only based on animal studies.
What is however promising, is the benefit that Maca may have on Male libido. An eight-week study found that men supplementing Maca, self reported an increase in sexual desire. You can check out this study below.
Effects Of Maca On Sexual Desire Study
My Thoughts On Maca And Testosterone
I’m personally not convinced that Maca can actually increase testosterone. Like with most of the above, the research to date on Maca and testosterone has actually been very limited. You hopefully saw in the above study that men supplementing with Maca saw no noticeable increase in testosterone production.
So if you are considering supplementing Maca as a way to increase T, I’d definitely give it a miss. At least for the time being till more in depth research is done. There are a number of vitamins, minerals & herbs that can aid testosterone. As far as evidence suggest to date, Maca is not one of them.
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Maca And Testosterone Studies
As we’ve covered there are limited studies looking into Maca and testosterone. The couple there have been don’t look particularly promising. Especially for men & aiding testosterone production. You can check out a few of the larger studies conducted on Maca and testosterone below. In these studies, men showed no increase in T levels with Maca supplementation.
Study 1
Study 2
There is however a study that implies that women supplementing with Maca may see increases in testosterone production. You can check this out below. As far as men are concerned though, all the evidence suggests that Maca & testosterone aren’t really a successful partnership. So again not something I would recommend if you are a man looking to optimize T levels.
Maca And Testosterone For Women Study
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Maca And Testosterone: What Are Better Supplement Options
There are a number of nutrients & herbs you can supplement which can actually help with testosterone production. Just to clarify supplements only work if you are deficient/ aren’t getting enough of that mineral/ herb in your diet. Some main supplements shown to positively impact testosterone are as follows:
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Boron
- Vitamin D
- Iodine
- Selenium
- Vitamin K2
- Ashwagandha
- Omega 3
The above are just some main ones. There are more, all of which have more clinical evidence behind them than maca and testosterone. You can supplement these separately or in a testosterone complex. I personally use a testosterone booster complex & supplement a couple of other nutrients separately.
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Final Thoughts On Maca And Testosterone
If it isn’t clear by now, if you want a supplement that naturally optimizes testosterone. I wouldn’t waste your money on Maca root. There are a number of minerals, vitamins & herbs which can potentially help, but Maca doesn’t appear to be one of them.
Hopefully, you have found this article useful. If you know anyone that may find it useful, is taking Maca root or considering it please share with them. If you have any questions, just drop me a comment. I’ll get back to you. You can also follow me on social media. I cover more topics like maca & testosterone. Essentially all things related to testosterone & good physical health.