Exercise is good for you. But within a couple of hours of engaging in prolonged intense exercise, your immune system becomes suppressed. New research shows that the Peruvian herb Maca might help.

The double-blind study gave either 2.25g of Maca or a placebo twice a day to 20 healthy men who were performing exhaustive endurance exercise. The study lasted 12 weeks.

Interferon-γ levels were significantly higher in the Maca group both immediately after exercise and 24 hours later. Interferon-γ induces and modulates immune response.

This study suggests that supplementing Maca can support and modulate immunity in people who engage in intense exercise.

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