Everyone wants to hold on to their youth and slow down the aging process.  One of the signs of aging in men is falling testosterone levels.  Testosterone is the hormone that contributes to vigor, muscle mass, strength, and confidence.  In most men testosterone levels begin declining after age 30.

Why are your testosterone level declining?

The simple answer.  

  • Your body does not produce or release enough testosterone, or your body is breaking down too much testosterone

When Might You Suspect That Your Testosterone Levels Ares Decreasing?

If your testosterone levels are declining you may notice certain symptoms, such as:

  • A gradual decrease in muscle mass
  • A gradual loss of strength
  • Weight gain / an increase in bodyfat
  • Low sex drive
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Mild depression

If you are experiencing one or more of the above signs and symptoms, you should get your hormone levels tested.  A blood test will can confirm whether your testosterone level is indeed low. Dr. John Phelts performs hormone profile analysis.  He recommends a diet and nutrient supplementation based on your profile. 

 

Check out these four natural methods for improving your testosterone levels.

Tips for boosting testosterone levels naturally

  1. Lift Weights- research shows that resistance training, like lifting weights, can boost your testosterone levels.  They are only boosted temporarily (about an hour), but that is one hour more of having increased testosterone than before.

  1. Lose weight.  Adipose tissue (fat cells) produce estrogen.  Adipose tissue contains an enzyme called aromatase which converts your testosterone into estrogen.  Let me say that another way.  This enzyme actually decreases your testosterone levels and increases your estrogen levels (to be discussed next week).  Whoa!  You want as little of that enzyme as possible in your body.  Losing fat can have a big impact on your hormone levels.  To summarize:  
  • More fat cells = more aromatase = more estrogen and less testosterone.    
  • Less fat = less aromatase = less estrogen and more testosterone.

  1. Eat mushrooms.  Mushrooms inhibit aromatase production in the body.  Inhibiting aromatase helps you keep your precious testosterone from being turned into estrogen.  Great types of mushrooms to eat include:  stuffing, portobello, shitake, white button, baby button, and cremini mushrooms.  The stuffing mushroom is the most potent aromatase inhibitor of them all.  

  1. Consume Testosterone Optimizing vitamins and herbs.  
  • Ashwagandha is a plant that has been proven to boost testosterone in men with low testosterone.   Vitamin E- has also been shown to boost testosterone in men with low testosterone levels.  Please note, do not expect these nutrients to increase your testosterone level if it is normal.
  • Chrysin and Hesperidin are plant chemicals that inhibit aromatase.  Chrysin is naturally occurring in passionflower, chamomile, honey, and mushrooms.  Hesperidin is found in orange peel.
  • D-Aspartic Acid is an amino acid.  It stimulates the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from a part of your brain called the pituitary gland.  LH tells your testes (testicle) to release more testosterone.
  • Beta-Sitosterol is a plant hormone.  It inhibits the enzyme, 5-alpah reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).  DHT is the hormone that causes hair loss, acne, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate gland).  DHT has no effect on muscles, whereas testosterone improves muscle strength and mass.  So, consuming foods that contain beta-sitosterol can help you keep more your muscle building, strength increasing testosterone.  It can be found in saw palmetto berries, pumpkin seeds, and pine bark.  

 

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11511861/

https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/24/12026

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6438434/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2525623/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2525623/

October 05, 2020