24-12-2011, 01:00 PM
I have checked new literature on maca after lled34aa's post:
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=8419&pid=41963#pid41963
I still wonder if maca really increases DHEA. Tribulus terrestris is said to increase DHEA:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10...020.x/full
Maca is also said to increase DHEA levels if they are too low
http://www.tristarnaturals.com/pdf/Trist...ochure.pdf
but it does not change levels of testosterone or estradiol:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10...519.x/full
nor of DHEA sulfate, in this study:
http://www.scielo.org.bo/scielo.php?pid=S1813-53632010000200007&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es
DHEA sulfate is measured instead of free DHEA, because free DHEA is so low it is difficult to measure, and most DHEA is bound as DHEA sulfate. This explains why there is no analytical chemical literature on measuring DHEA after taking any herb. It also explains why so many herbs are claimed to increase DHEA, with no data to support that claim.
So the status is still the same as when I first started reading on maca:
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=8419&pid=32411#pid32411
One publication I linked earlier:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.11...x/abstract
reports that maca decreased prostate weight and zinc levels in rats, after artificial increases by giving the rats testosterone enanthate. So there may be a good reason why maca is sold as an adaptogen: it appears to change no hormone levels if they are right, but maybe it does change them if they are disturbed.
Prettymama suggested that may mean that maca keeps the breast and butt development going as it did before maca, only faster. Since then, I always take the precaution of not starting maca before the other herbs are tuned right for growth without androgen side effects, like acne. There is anecdotal evidence supporting this approach on the forum, but I wish I could find a scientific article. How do you design an experiment that proves this?
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=8419&pid=41963#pid41963
I still wonder if maca really increases DHEA. Tribulus terrestris is said to increase DHEA:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10...020.x/full
Maca is also said to increase DHEA levels if they are too low
http://www.tristarnaturals.com/pdf/Trist...ochure.pdf
but it does not change levels of testosterone or estradiol:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10...519.x/full
nor of DHEA sulfate, in this study:
http://www.scielo.org.bo/scielo.php?pid=S1813-53632010000200007&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es
DHEA sulfate is measured instead of free DHEA, because free DHEA is so low it is difficult to measure, and most DHEA is bound as DHEA sulfate. This explains why there is no analytical chemical literature on measuring DHEA after taking any herb. It also explains why so many herbs are claimed to increase DHEA, with no data to support that claim.
So the status is still the same as when I first started reading on maca:
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=8419&pid=32411#pid32411
One publication I linked earlier:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.11...x/abstract
reports that maca decreased prostate weight and zinc levels in rats, after artificial increases by giving the rats testosterone enanthate. So there may be a good reason why maca is sold as an adaptogen: it appears to change no hormone levels if they are right, but maybe it does change them if they are disturbed.
Prettymama suggested that may mean that maca keeps the breast and butt development going as it did before maca, only faster. Since then, I always take the precaution of not starting maca before the other herbs are tuned right for growth without androgen side effects, like acne. There is anecdotal evidence supporting this approach on the forum, but I wish I could find a scientific article. How do you design an experiment that proves this?