Nutrition and testosterone

Poor nutrition, together with stress, is the main reason why testosterone levels in men today are falling faster than their fathers’ did 20 years ago. In this article, we look at what to watch in your daily diet to take the best possible care of your male sex hormone levels.

Nutrition and excess fat mass kill testosterone

Let’s start with the most important point: being overweight has a devastating effect on testosterone. Unfortunately, obesity is a steadily accelerating trend in the Western world, and the culprits are not hard to find. Easily available and mostly cheap snacks and fast food, whose consumption is also encouraged by the fast pace of modern life, are often very high in calories. Add a mostly sedentary lifestyle, and you have a pretty reliable recipe for obesity.

On top of the countless other health problems that being overweight causes, it also directly affects male sex hormone levels. One study found that testosterone levels in men suffering from obesity are 40-50 percent lower than in those whose body mass index was normal. Another study, which looked at age-related changes in weight and lifestyle in older men, found that male sex hormone levels dropped markedly when body weight rose and went up when body weight fell.

But that is only one side of the story. The other, and by no means less important, is that obesity causes serious erectile dysfunction, even in young men. Good sexual health is one of the key foundations of a fulfilling life, and shortfalls in it often lead to a constant state of stress. We covered the important link between stress and testosterone levels in our previous article.

To find out whether your body mass index is within the normal range, you can use one of the calculators available online. It should be mentioned separately that for strength athletes with very high muscle mass, a BMI calculator may not be accurate, and in that case a DEXA scan should be preferred to find out the exact ratio of muscle mass to fat.

Ditch the fat-free diet

For many, this call may seem to contradict the previous point, but the myth that fat is the main cause of obesity is fortunately fading. No single macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate or fat) is the cause of weight gain. The cause is total calorie intake. Fat is actually an important part of the daily menu, all the more so because it helps keep testosterone levels optimal. Studies show the opposite: an extremely low-fat diet promotes a drop in male sex hormone levels.

For decades, fat has been claimed to be the main cause of excess weight, “bad” LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Indeed, hydrogenated fats, which are artificially created to help food keep longer, are truly harmful, and according to studies they also significantly lower testosterone levels. Hydrogenated fats are often found in sweets, potato chips, ready-made sauces, French fries and other processed foods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, unlike hydrogenated fats, help maintain optimal testosterone levels. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil, nuts and avocado, and polyunsaturated fats mainly in fish. There is also no need to fear the saturated fats from meat and dairy, but keep in mind that the largest share of the fat you eat should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Note: if you increase the share of healthy fats in your menu, especially at the expense of carbohydrates, make sure your total daily calorie intake still stays within the desired range. Since fat is more than twice as energy-dense as protein or carbohydrate, the amounts you eat need to be monitored all the more carefully.

Eat zinc-rich foods

Zinc is a mineral that plays an important role in regulating testosterone levels in your body. The average man needs only about 15 mg of zinc a day to avoid a deficiency and help optimize male sex hormone levels. Among everyday foods, zinc-rich choices include seafood, meat, wheat, spinach and nuts. Zinc is also available as a supplement from health food stores and pharmacies.

Cabbage: cheap, good and underrated

Cabbage, a fundamental part of Asian cuisine, is often an unpopular choice for Western people used to fast convenience food. That is a shame, because it contains indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C has a clinically proven estrogen-lowering effect and helps prevent and, in some cases, even treat prostate cancer. What’s more, cabbage is cheap, easy to prepare and a fairly low-calorie root vegetable. That makes it a good fit for the menu of anyone who wants to lose weight without feeling hungry.

Sugars and fruit lower testosterone levels

To ease a sweet craving, natural juices and fruit are always recommended instead of candy and pastries. It must be stressed here, however, that this is because of the vitamins and dietary fiber in fruit, not because it contains no sugar. Quite the opposite: for example, 100 grams of banana contains 12g and 100 grams of grapes 16 grams of sugar. Total carbohydrates are higher still.

Studies show, however, that sugars lower testosterone levels. Of course, cutting sugar out of your diet completely isn’t practical, but it’s a good idea to try to limit how much you consume. When baking, for example, you can try other natural sweeteners such as stevia or Splenda instead of sugar.

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References

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Author: Testosteroon

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