Role of Maca (Lepidium meyenii) Consumption on Serum Interleukin-6 Levels and Health Status in Populations Living in the Peruvian Central Andes over 4000 m of Altitude

Abstract

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a plant that grows at over 4000 meters above sea level in the central Peruvian Andes. The hypocotyls of this plant are traditionally consumed for their nutritional and medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to determine the health status based on a health related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaire (SF-20) and serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in subjects that are maca consumers. For this, a cross-sectional study was designed to be performed in 50 subjects from Junin (4100 m): 27 subjects were maca consumers and 23 were non-consumers. The SF-20 survey is used to obtain a summary measure of health status. The stand up from a chair and sit down (SUCSD) test (to assess lower-extremity function), hemoglobin measurement, blood pressure, sexual hormone levels, serum IL-6 levels and the score of chronic mountain sickness (CMS) were evaluated. Testosterone/estradiol ratio (P≪0.05), IL-6 (P<0.05) and CMS score were lower, whereas the health status score was higher, in maca consumers when compared to non-consumers (P<0.01). A greater proportion of maca consumers successfully completed the SUCSD test compared to non-consumers (P<0.01), showing a significant association with lower values of serum IL-6 (P<0.05). In conclusion, consumption of maca was associated with low serum IL-6 levels and in turn with better health status scores in the SF-20 survey and low chronic mountain sickness scores.

Maca (Lepidium meyenii WALP), una revisión sobre sus propiedades biológicas

“…La interleukina 6, un compuesto que cuando está aumentado en personas mayores se asocia al envejecimiento, se encuentra en menor cantidad en los sujetos de Junín residentes a 4100 m de altitud que consumen maca, esto se asocia a mejor puntaje de estado de salud y a un mayor éxito en la prueba de levantarse y sentarse cinco veces de una silla sin utilizar los brazos como soporte (p<0,05) (79) .…”

Structural Characterization and Antifatigue Effect In Vivo of Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp) Polysaccharide

“…In 2000, Lepidium meyenii Walp was transplanted from Peru to Yunnan, Sinkiang, and Tibet in China, for the 1st time; in 2011, it was approved as novel food stuff by the Chinese government (Hao and others ). Maca had been extensively investigated because of its applications in sexual and fertility enhancement (Gonzales and others ; Massoma Lembè and others ), hormonal regulation (Gonzales and others ), antifatigue properties (Choi and others ), and impaired memory alleviation (Rubio and others ), which have been demonstrated in animal and human trials. Previous studies focused on macamides and macaenes (Esparza and others ; Zhang and others ), alkaloids (Zhao and others ), and polyphenols (Bai and others ), whose contents are much less than those of maca polysaccharides (MPs).…”

Lepidium meyenii

“…Black maca (BM), yacon and the mixture of both extracts reduced glucose levels in streptozotocindiabetic mice (Gonzales et al 2013a ). Non-diabetic mice treated with BM and yacon showed higher daily sperm production (DSP) than those treated with vehicle.…”