Healthcast 605 - Can Food or Lifestyle Stimulate Your Testosterone Production?

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What are the factors that stimulate or inhibit your own Testosterone (T) production?

There are foods, supplements and activities that stimulate testosterone production,

Just as there are foods, supplements and activities that lower your internal T production. Today I would like to address the factors that increase the production of testosterone in both men and women.

However, there are limitations on these nonmedical pathways to a higher testosterone level:

1. One is your age. If you are a woman and menopausal then there are no foods or lifestyle changes that will stimulate your ovary to come back to life and make testosterone. Women have a finite lifespan for their production of estradiol and testosterone, and it ends at menopause. Estrogens can be made in the fat and the adrenal but pure testosterone is only made in the ovary, and when the ovaries "die" that's the end of testosterone production.

2. Men make testosterone throughout their lives, but their testes become resistant to stimulation around age 55, but they can become resistant as early as age 40, and then nothing other than T replacement will increase testosterone levels.

3. A person's body has a genetically driven sensitivity to the hormone Testosterone. Your heritage or the origin of your ancestors determine how you will "feel" with a particular blood level of testosterone. This has been studied by looking at the genetics of the T receptor on all the cells of your body. Receptors are more sensitive the closer you get to the equator in the western hemisphere, and the receptors are less sensitive if your ancestors' origin was closer to the north and south poles than if they were from around the equator. A certain level of testosterone doesn't have the same effect testosterone on both groups. In other words, those genes from around the equator need less testosterone to get the same effect as those people from extreme high and low latitudes. We are all different and our genes have an effect on our treatment.

If you are a menopausal woman or over 40 then the manipulations of diet and exercise will be less likely to increase your testosterone production.

There are foods and activities that inherently stimulate your internal testosterone production if you are a woman under 40 or a man under 50. After that you generally must replace your T to improve your symptoms of low Testosterone.

Eating fewer fast foods and more of a well-balanced Mediterranean diet with fresh foods can optimize your testosterone production.

High protein diets with grass fed animal foods and plenty of fish will optimize your testosterone production. Cholesterol containing foods provide the necessary building blocks for Testosterone in the body.

Getting to your ideal weight will increase the free Testosterone in your blood stream making you feel your testosterone more.

Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night will increase the production of T, because T production is stimulated at night when you sleep.

Sleeping in a dark room stimulates the production of Testosterone, Growth hormone (muscle development) and Melatonin (deep sleep).

Daily moderate Exercise (not necessarily running a marathon) will stimulate your production of Testosterone.

Supplements can stimulate production of Testosterone. There are several supplements targeted to stimulate testosterone that contain carnitine, inositol, choline.

Protein in the diet provides the building blocks of muscle and testosterone and allow the activities and foods that stimulate the production of T have something to build with. People with a low protein diet (no eggs, fish, beans, milk products or meat) have a more difficult time making T.

Most combination supplements that are touted on TV to increase your T are herbs and supplements that decrease estrogens like DIM, or supplements that increase your T by providing the hormones that are precursors to T like Pregnenalone and DHEA.

Herb Fenugreek 500 mg increases free T production

Decrease in DHT with the herb Saw Palmetto can decrease the production of DHT and increase free Testosterone, however it is important not to decrease the DHT too much because it is important in sex drive and building muscle.

Ashwagandha decreases cortisol, and cortisol binding protein that inactivates T, therefore it can increase free T. If you are taking T supplementation, then don't take this supplement because it can cause you to not feel your free T.

Zinc piccolate and Arginine improves prostate function and health, therefore your volume of ejaculate increases, and free testosterone is improved as well

Lastly supplements that increase your erectile function by increasing Nitric Oxide e.g. Neo 40.