Or, What Affects Your Testosterone Levels?
As a man myself, I’m acutely aware of the importance of having a healthy level of testosterone. Most people know that it’s important for maintaining sexual desire and muscle mass, but it does a lot of other things in the body as well. For example, low testosterone can be associated with irritability, decreased drive, intellectual capacity, and overall performance, fatigue, less muscle and bone mass, more visceral and abdominal fat (both risk factors for cardiovascular disease), cognitive dysfunction, and blood sugar issues like increased insulin resistance. As we get older, optimizing testosterone levels can improve mood, muscle mass and body composition, cognitive function, bone density, sense of well-being, as well as of course libido and sexual desire.
These effects of testosterone are not limited to men, and a deficiency of testosterone has significant impacts on women as well. Post-menopausal women will experience a significant decline in testosterone, and addressing that decline with either natural testosterone replacement or other non-hormonal natural treatments can help keep you feeling your best, whether you’re a man or a woman.
There are a number of factors which we know can affect testosterone levels. Let’s take a look here at some of them:
Lower testosterone or a decrease in testosterone have been shown to occur with: age, depression, stress, obesity, stopping smoking (likely related to the depression that occurs after quitting – don’t let the slight drop in testosterone stop you from quitting though, the benefits are way better than the short-term drawback!), and in unmarried men. Testosterone increases with regular sexual activity and exercise. Also, a deficiency in the precursor nutrients and hormones that are used to make testosterone will result in low testosterone. So, you need enough zinc, vitamin A, boron, as well as the hormones DHEA and progesterone, and even cholesterol. All sex steroids, including testosterone, are made from cholesterol, so reducing cholesterol TOO much isn’t a good idea. Cholesterol is converted first to pregnenolone, which is used to make progesterone and DHEA, which are converted to testosterone. Too much stress can cause the progesterone to be excessively diverted to cortisol production, leaving less material to be used to make testosterone. Too much fat tissue will cause the testosterone to be converted by aromatase – an enzyme prevalent in fat tissue – to estrogen, which can cause estrogen to go too high, reducing testosterone in the process. The take-away here is: maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, approaching life with a healthy mindset – and eating a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals, are all necessary when we’re trying to optimize testosterone levels.
The first factor I mentioned above – age – has been considered the most important factor in declining levels in any individual. However this may need to be questioned a bit. A study in 2012 showed that aging alone doesn’t account for dropping testosterone levels – they saw less than 1% drop per year in the men they followed, and this degree of decline wasn’t considered significant. The factors that WERE associated with significant declines in testosterone were becoming obese, being depressed, or stopping smoking. The author concluded that “declining testosterone levels are not an inevitable part of the aging process, as many people think”. (1) While I question whether this is true – because we have a lot of evidence showing men lose testosterone as they age – I think it’s important to recognize that other factors can cause an even greater drop than that which occurs from age alone.
Lastly, I want to take a look at a type of chemical called phthalates, which have been associated with disruption of our endocrine systems. Phthalates are chemicals found in plastics, toys, food packaging, detergents, personal care products such as shampoos and soaps, perfume, et al. One study showed a significant correlation between levels of phthalates and testosterone. The study showed that the higher the amount of phthalates in the body, the greater the drop in testosterone. They showed a 24-34% drop in testosterone with increasing levels of phthalates in boys, and an 8-13% drop in men 40-60 years old (2). This is just one class of chemicals correlated with decreased male sexual function. In addition, pesticide exposure is strongly associated with declining sperm count. (3) Also problematic are bisphenol A, PCB’s, DDT, and DDE (4).
As phthalates are present in so many things we rely on, it is not likely that we can completely eliminate them from our bodies. However we can take steps to reduce their levels. We can use less processed food and body care products, less chemicals and plastics, and replace them with more fresh foods, more simple packaging in recyclable glass or metal containers. We can also regularly detoxify by making sure our bowels are moving regularly and by sweating frequently. Using a sauna for twenty minutes twice a week is a great health-promoting activity, which works in part by promoting excretion of toxins via our sweat.
I hope this article has given you some insight into why testosterone is important, and what can affect the level of testosterone in our bodies. You can find out more about testosterone replacement therapy here
If you would like further assistance with your hormones or other health issues, you can contact us to set up a free 10 minute phone consultation. Our number here in Sherman Oaks is 424-278-4325.
Yours In Good Health,
Dr. Fischer
References:
Endocrine Society. “Declining testosterone levels in men not part of normal aging.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 June 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120623144944.htm>.
Meeker JD, Ferguson KK. Urinary Phthalate Metabolites Are Associated With Decreased Serum Testosterone in Men, Women, and Children From NHANES 2011–2012. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2014;99(11):4346-4352. doi:10.1210/jc.2014-2555.
Swan, SH, RL Kruse, L Fan, DB Barr, EZ Drobnis, JB Redmon, C Wang, C Brazil and JW Overstreet and the Study for the Future of Families Research Group. 2003. Semen quality in relation to biomarkers of pesticide exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 111:1478-1484.
Hueiwang Anna Jeng. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and male reproductive health. Front Public Health, 05 June 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00055