Hey guys,
This week’s post is going to explore whether Maca Root helps us get bigger curves or not. This South American plant is often sold in supplement form and is promoted as being helpful for growing glutes and curves.
This blog post is going to explore whether these claims are based on facts or not.
What is Maca Root?
Maca root is a root plant that is grown in South America. “Maca is a root plant cultivated in South America and has been used by the natives for healing purposes and consumption as food (Ebele,2012).”
It is popular among women as a curve-enhancing supplement. “More recently, maca root has become popular among women as a way to increase curves and promote estrogen production (healthyhuemans.com, 2022).”
Maca root also provides benefits for libido, hormones, energy, mental focus and clarity, better memory, improved fertility and mood.
What are the Three Types of Maca?
There are three different types of Maca, each providing different benefits. These include black, yellow or red Maca (Zienliski, 2022).
“Products made from red or black maca may offer slightly different health benefits than supplements made from yellow maca (Zienliski, 2022).”
Black Maca
Black Maca has the highest amount of antioxidants out of the three Maca types. It also has metabolism boosting benefits.
“Black maca is reportedly rich in polyphenols (quercetin and anthocyanins), polysaccharides, and macamides with antioxidant effects (Ybañez-Julca RO, Asunción-Alvarez D, 2020).”
“A study published in “Frontiers in Pharmacology” in 2018 found that Black Maca extract prevents metabolism disorders by helping regulate glucose, which is an important metabolite for humans. The brain requires about 50% of its calories from glucose and red blood cells subsist exclusively on glucose. This study showed that Black Maca enhances the production of glucose in the body and may thereby support a healthier metabolism (Assuaged Aficionados, 2022).”
Red Maca
Red Maca is high in antioxidants and helps fight prostate cancer and bone density loss.
Yellow Maca
Yellow Maca is great for mood-boosting as well as reducing depression and anxiety symptoms.
“The yellow maca plant contains mood-boosting flavonoids with the ability to decrease anxiety and depression in both men and women, and also balance hormones. It enhances overall vitality and mood as well (Assuaged Aficionados, 2022).”
What are the Different Forms of Maca?
Maca can be found in powders, extracts, pills and liquids (Zienliski, 2022).
Will Consuming Maca Root Give me Curves?
The overall aim of this blog post is to examine whether Maca can have benefits on building our curves.
What are curves? They define the relationship between breasts, waist, hips and thighs. So it is not just about having big breasts, rather, it’s that s or c shaped line in between the breasts and waist that will define curves.
It is therefore a combination of Maca supplementation with booty and leg building exercises and a high-protein diet that will lead to this hourglass shape.
Having more pronounced ratios between those four body parts will make a woman curvier than another one. Simply, a woman with a small waist, larger breasts, larger thighs and hips will have a curvier appearance than one who has just one of these parts in an exaggerated fashion.
A woman with DD breasts and no butt will not be as curvy as a woman who has C cup breasts and a big butt and legs from working out. “Having higher amounts of estrogen naturally also makes one more predisposed to reacting well to both glutes-focussed workouts and any hormone-enhancing supplement like Maca root (Assuaged Aficionados, 2022).”
Maca supplementation arguably draws benefits for both growing breasts and butt. Factors like gender, genetics, fat distribution, bone structure, training and hormonal make-up all play a part in how one’s body is going to respond to both supplementation and external measures like training and diet.
“Your body shape is determined predominantly by genetics and no, you cannot alter your genetics. However hormones also play a major role in how body fat is distributed and this can be altered by use of certain supplements and medications (healthyhuemans.com, 2022).”
Estrogen is primarily responsible for women developing curves. During puberty, most women start to develop breasts, hips and butts as a result of increased levels of estrogen.
“Traditionally women with higher levels of estrogen tend to store more fat in breasts, hips and of course the booty.
During puberty most young women will experience a surge in estrogen levels which triggers development of curves (healthyhuemans.com, 2022).”
Estrogen and Estradiol
The women who do use Maca powder claim that this supplement does offer an increase in estrogen and leads them to gain fat on their breasts, hips and butts. Are these claims backed up by science?
The link between estrogen and having curves is clear! Simply put, estrogen regulates body fat distribution and is largely intertwined with our body’s fat transportation processes.
“An important implication from these findings is that estrogen regulates body fat distribution, interacts with the integrated adiposity message conveyed to the brain by leptin, and enhances leptin’s action in sympathetic activation to the visceral fat, which facilitates fat mobilization in the visceral depot and fat deposition in the subcutaneous depot (Brown & Clegg, 2010).”
Encouragingly enough, some studies do indicate that Maca’s estrogenic effects can increase fat deposits in breasts, hips and butt of women who are lacking in estrogen or are hyperandrogenic.
“Some women who produce less estrogen or have a dominance of androgen (male hormones) will tend to store less fat in these areas and more in the upper body thereby having less curves. For these women, the benefits of maca root for curves can encourage a more feminine figure because if your body is producing too little of estrogen, it will help to regulate your system and increased estrogen level can mean more fat deposits in breasts, hips and the booty (healthyhuemans.com, 2022).”
Studies on rats also demonstrate that administration of estradiol (stimulated by Maca supplementation) has led to female fat distribution in male rats.
“Peripheral or central administration of estradiol to OVX rats restores central leptin sensitivity and changes their body fat distribution to mirror that of intact females; additionally, altering the sex hormone milieu in males with estradio2l administration increases sensitivity to central leptin and increases subcutaneous fat deposition (Brown & Clegg, 2010).”
What are the Benefits of Maca?
1) Maca is highly fibrous
Maca root is highly fibrous. The benefits of fiber extend to an improvement in gut health. Fiber further alleviates feelings of hunger and is highly satiating.
Maca is also high in protein and there promotes benefits like muscle growth, fat burning and healthy functioning of our cellular body.
“Maca is high in fibers, such as cellulose and lignins, which improve gut health. Fiber is also an effective tummy filler, which can reduce hunger between meals. Most maca powders also contain between 11% to 18% protein. Your body needs protein to build muscle, promote fat burning, and support the healthy function of all your cells. (Wsezelki, 2016).”
2) Maca is anabolic and high in muscle building fiber
Maca root is also anabolic which ultimately provides muscle-building benefits.
“Anabolic foods are low in carbohydrates but high in things that help your muscles build fiber. Maca root is an excellent anabolic choice. This is why many people get more curves when they are taking it (C. Marco, 2022).“
This is excellent if your primary goal is to build muscle as its supplementation will complement your goals and training/nutritional efforts.
“As you work out, your body will start to gain mass quicker and more effectively. You can also be sure to eat other anabolic foods such as eggs, chicken, cheese, and healthy oils (C. Marco, 2022).”
3) Maca offers high amounts of energy
Maca root is also known for its energy and mood boosting benefits. “Maca root can help to boost your energy levels and improve your mood. This is especially beneficial if you are trying to diet or exercise regularly (lifebing,2022).”
4) Maca helps balance out hormones
Maca offers several hormone-balancing benefits including suppression of cortisol, relief from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, higher libido, improved fertility, better memory and increased mental clarity.
“The medicinal root can help to regulate your levels of estrogen, while also decreasing your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This means that you will be able to reduce the risk of developing conditions such as PMS. Maca root may help to reduce the symptoms of menopause in women (Hormonesbalance.com,2016).”
5) Maca increases estrogen
As mentioned in the introduction, maca root does have the potential to increase estrogen in women lacking this hormone and/or who are hyperandrogenic.
“Maca may be the ultimate natural HRT. Unlike some herbs and phytoestrogens such as soy, maca does not try to mimic estrogen in your body. Yet it can actually increase the body’s production of estrogen if your levels are too low (Wsezelki, 2016).” (Hormonesbalance.com,2016)
As estrogen is responsible for fat in our hips, butt and breasts, Maca root can provide our body with more noticeable curves.
“It increases fat storage around the hips and thighs, meaning that the body is more curved and contoured. The benefits of maca root for curves will help your body to release increased amount of estrogen, and elevated estrogen means increased fatty deposits in booty, bust and hips – a curvaceous body (Hormonesbalance.com,2016).”
6) Maca acts as an adaptogen
Maca root acts as an adaptogen. An adaptogen is a natural substance that helps the body adapt to stress (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Furthermore, maca root also helps regulate thyroid and adrenal gland function. As mentioned earlier, it also helps with balancing curve-enhancing hormones like estrogen which does lead to curves.
“Regular and regulated consumption of this adaptogen could help in nourishing your physique because of the wonderful benefits associated with nutrition-rich minerals and vitamins. These vitamins and minerals are supposed to have a positive effect on the functioning of the endocrine system. Benefits of maca root extracts could also play a big role in regulating and optimizing the functioning of the thyroid and adrenal glands. Maca helps in ensuring that the body releases the right dosage of important hormones that help in giving women their special looks, in the form of curves around breast, lower hips, buttocks (healthyhuemans.com, 2022).”
Reduction of stress-related hormones can also optimize the hypertrophic effects of glutes-building exercises.
Emotional and physical stress can lead to burn-out, adrenal exhaustion, thyroid gland dysfunction which can in turn shut down your system from being able to reap any curve-enhancing benefits of booty workouts.
“Unlike HRT or drugs like antidepressants, maca helps tone the HPA axis to support the body’s own production of numerous hormones, increasing or decreasing their levels according to what you individually need. This reduces the unhealthy knock-on effects that stress and anxiety have on your cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic, reproductive and nervous systems. As a result, maca helps prevent you from getting stuck in the adrenal exhaustion stage (Wsezelki, 2016).”
“Rushed, edgy or juggling too many responsibilities? Maca could be your best friend. Like licorice and ginseng, the maca root is one of the rare plants that can be classified as an ‘herbal adaptogen’. This means it can directly change the balance of your hormones to help you adapt to stress and illness. Your endocrine (hormone) system is in the front line when it comes to handling the effects of stress on your body (Wsezelki, 2016).”
Maca root also reduces oxidative stress brought on by exercise. “Researchers suggest maca may also lessen the effects of oxidative stress brought on by exercise. In one small study, trained male cyclists were given maca extract for 14 days. The group completed a 40 km time trial faster than they did before taking the supplements, although the results weren’t statistically significant from the placebo group (da Silva Leitão Peres, 2020).”
7) Maca reduces menopausal symptoms in post-menopausal women
Maca supplementation also reduces menopausal symptoms in women such as hot flashes, night sweats, depression, insomnia, nervouness and anxiety.
As mentioned earlier, Maca also increases the amount of estradiol/reduces cortisol as well as helps with concentration.
“Maca in perimenopausal and menopausal women has been linked to an increase in hormones, including progesterone and luteinizing hormone (which stimulates ovary function). The maca also stimulated estradiol and suppressed the production of chemicals like the stress hormone, cortisol. Having worked with over 2000 women, we consistently hear stories about a reduction in hot flashes, night sweats, depression, insomnia, nervousness and anxiety, as well as improved concentration (Wsezelki, 2016).”
8) Maca helps boosts libido and stamina
This Maca root benefit may not lead to better curves but it certainly can make life feel more pleasurable!
Maca is a good aphrodisiac and can increase sexual desire in both men and women (including menopausal women).
“Maca was traditionally taken as an aphrodisiac—and science may back this up. One study showed that men taking the herbal supplement had increased sexual desire. The researchers also reported this raise in sexual appetite was independent of other factors that affect libido, like depression and anxiety or hormone levels (Gonzales, 2002).” (Zienliski, 2022).
“A meta-analysis found maca supplements also raised sex drive in menopausal women. These results are based on only a few small studies and further testing is needed to be sure (Shin, 2010).” (Zienliski, 2022)
How to take Maca Root Supplement for Optimal Curves:
1) Combine with Fenugreek Supplement
“We highlight fenugreek as a common herb used in many curve enhancing regimen. It is widely known for its abilities to promote larger, fuller breasts and thicker hips. It is high in a chemical known as diosgenin which has been said to cause the body to produce more estrogen. Fenugreek also boasts a slew of other health benefits including helping to regulate blood sugar levels, promote hormone balance and increase libido (Ebele,2012) .”
“Combining maca with fenugreek boosts curve enhancing powers of the blend. We added popular muscle toning herb tribulus to balance out the two herbs and stimulate the strengthening of muscles and fit curves. The combination of maca and fenugreek may lead to elevated estrogen levels, and estrogen typically means more fat storage in the body (Ebele,2012). “
2) Combine with these booty-building exercises and high-protein diet for optimal results.
3) Shrink your waist via vacuum exercises!
“Having a toned waist line is what gives the illusion of curves and a sexy silhouette. It’s not enough to just focus on growing the butt, equally important is having a toned physique and especially a nice, flat stomach (Ebele,2012).”
In conclusion, Maca root offers benefits including an increase in curve-enhancing estrogen, increased energy, improved memory/concentration, a reduction in PMS and menopausal symptoms in women, increase in libido as well as a reduction in overall stress.
Take Maca as a supplement whilst aiming for progressive overload on glutes-building exercises, eat a high-protein diet, combine with Fenugreek and make sure to shrink your waist via vacuum exercises for that beautiful curvy hourglass shape!
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post on whether Maca Root can give us bigger curves please let me know what you thought about it in the comments section below.
Sources:
https://www.assuaged.com/news/maca-root
https://hormonesbalance.com/articles/the-10-hormone-balancing-wonders-of-maca/
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/ https://ro.co/health-guide/benefits-of-maca/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889220/
Taras Fit World 