Maca

Maca

Maca is a highly nutritious plant native to the Andes Mountains, with its roots being used as an herb. The plant consists mostly of carbohydrates (59%), but also contains a rich amount of protein for a root vegetable, with the majority of its components being arginine.

The strength of maca lies not only in its arginine content but also in its balanced inclusion of various other essential amino acids and nutrients beneficial for health. While maca itself can be considered a highly nutritious food when consumed as part of a meal, the small amounts found in energy drinks are unlikely to provide dramatic effects.

Effects of Maca

Most of the effects of maca are based on the benefits of arginine.

• Promotes the secretion of growth hormones
• Improves blood circulation and promotes muscle pump

Due to its high arginine content, maca is considered good for vitality and strengthening the body. However, maca only contains 610mg of arginine per 100g, which is much less than what you'd typically get from a supplement. For example, people usually take about 5,000mg of arginine in supplement form, which is nearly 10 times higher.

Furthermore, the amount of maca in energy drinks is extremely small, and the amount of arginine you can derive from it is practically negligible, so it cannot be expected to provide any significant vitality effects.

Energy Drinks and the Image of Maca

The inclusion of maca in energy drinks can be seen as an "image ingredient," brought over from the "vitality and stamina" image commonly associated with nutritional drinks in Japan.

This applies not only to maca but to other ingredients as well. Essentially, these ingredients should be considered more as marketing elements for product image, rather than things to be relied upon for effectiveness. Maca is more commonly found in energy drinks in Japan.

For example, Cherio's Lifeguard X appears to have a large amount of 4,000mg of maca, but in terms of arginine, it only contains around 24mg. Seeking significant effects from this small amount is a mistake, and it's best to enjoy the energy drink with the understanding that these ingredients are intended to create an image rather than provide potent benefits. (ｕ_ｕ*)