How to Improve Declining Testosterone Levels in Men

Photo by Marius Muresan on Unsplash

Testosterone levels have been slowly declining in men over the last two decades.
While declining testosterone has typically been associated with aging men, it’s now affecting younger men as well.

Several factors contribute to this decrease; higher levels of stress, obesity and more sedentary lifestyles and more toxins in the environment.

This affects men in 3 ways:

Chronic levels of stress raise cortisol levels and contribute to declining testosterone.

The more fat a man has around his middle, the more estrogen his body produces. Being overweight can push hormones out of balance and affect how the body responds to insulin, and both of these can lower testosterone levels.

Many plastics contain endocrine disrupting hormones (EDCs). These chemicals interfere with the body’s hormones and are found in every day containers like plastic bottles, food storage containers, detergents and much more.

As men age, testosterone levels drop very gradually, about 1% to 2% each year — unlike the relatively rapid drop in estrogen that causes menopause. The testes produces less testosterone, there are fewer signals from the pituitary telling the testes to make testosterone, and a protein called the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) increases with age.
All of this reduces the active (free) form of testosterone in the body. More than a third of men over age 45 may have reduced levels of testosterone than might be considered normal.

Is There a Way to Check Testosterone Deficiency?

Symptoms of testosterone deficiency in adult men include:

 Reduced body and facial hair

 Loss of muscle mass

 Low libido, impotence, small testicles, reduced sperm count and infertility.

 Increased breast size

 Hot flashes

 Irritability, poor concentration, and depression

 Loss of body hair

 Brittle bones and an increased risk of fracture

Testosterone is the major sex hormone in males and plays several important roles, such as:

 The development of the penis and testes

 The deepening of the voice during puberty

 The appearance of facial and pubic hair starting at puberty; later in life, it may play a role in balding.

 Muscle size and strength

 Bone growth and strength

 Sex drive (libido)

 Sperm production

Testosterone may also help maintain normal mood.

Did you know that testosterone plays other important roles in health and disease that may surprise you. For example, did you know that testosterone is a key player in prostate cancer?

There may be other important functions of this hormone that have not yet been discovered.

Signals sent from the brain to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain control the production of testosterone in men. The pituitary gland then relays signals to the testes to produce testosterone.

A "feedback loop" closely regulates the amount of hormone in the blood. When testosterone levels rise too high, the brain sends signals to the pituitary to reduce production.

How to Increase Testosterone

Lifting weights and staying active helps.
Getting better sleep also makes a difference as testosterone levels peak in deep sleep.

A healthy diet focusing on specific foods can indirectly improve testosterone levels.
These include foods like; brazil nuts (1-2 per day for selenium), eggs, red meat, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, oysters (high in zinc), pumpkin seeds (also high in zinc), avocadoes (boron, monosaturated fats), pomegranates (high in anti-oxidants), extra virgin olive oil (healthy Omega 3 fat), Greek yogurt, Chia seeds, dark leafy greens (magnesium), dark chocolate (more than 85% cacao, it’s rich in flavnoids and foods high in fiber.

These foods are rich in micronutrients that provide magnesium, zinc, Vitamin D levels, flavonoids and antioxidants.

Herbs and supplements can have more of a direct beneft on testosterone levels. Discover the 6 top herbs and 6 top supplements to use in the June issue of the Herbal Collective for upgraded members. You will also get access to archived issues and specialty eguides.