Thread: Boosting Testosterone

I was just reading about increasing your testosterone through diet:

http://www.peaktestosterone.com/TwoFs.htm

(I'm a weight lifter looking to add some mass but I also try to eat extremely healthy.) Do you think this is possible? Can diet alone do this? Is there a downside? I mean the link talks about how it is hard on your vascular system, but aren't there societies that live this way?

I know there's a lot of knowledgeable people on this site, so I'd love to find some additional information.

That's interesting alright!

This comes back down to the whole good fats bad fats issue.
Testosterone is synthesised from cholesterol alright but cholesterol intake shouldnt affect T-levels since cholesterol is produced endogenously anyway.

So what I think they must mean (this is total conjecture) is that perhaps that testosterone is absorbed partly by LDL (bad cholesterol) and not by HDL affecting free Testosterone blood levels.

I think what you should take from the article is that you should stick with your flaxseed oil & fish oils and avoid all the bad fats you probably are already avoiding if you're trying to eat healthily.
Do not take testosterone supplements, hormones are not the kind of thig you want to mess around with they have bad effects on the liver ad increase your LDL & decrease your HDL cholesterol.

Originally Posted by Robbie

That's interesting alright!

This comes back down to the whole good fats bad fats issue.
Testosterone is synthesised from cholesterol alright but cholesterol intake shouldnt affect T-levels since cholesterol is produced endogenously anyway.

So what I think they must mean (this is total conjecture) is that perhaps that testosterone is absorbed partly by LDL (bad cholesterol) and not by HDL affecting free Testosterone blood levels.

I think what you should take from the article is that you should stick with your flaxseed oil & fish oils and avoid all the bad fats you probably are already avoiding if you're trying to eat healthily.
Do not take testosterone supplements, hormones are not the kind of thig you want to mess around with they have bad effects on the liver ad increase your LDL & decrease your HDL cholesterol.

Don't they usually measure liver function when you're on testosterone? They should be able to monitor that and take you off if there are any signs of problems, don't you think?

Also, do you have links about testosterone messing with HDL/LDL? I would really like to read more about that as it seems counterintuitive. If you read on that same site, you'll find that testosterone is actually critical to heart health. Scientists have found that low testosterone guys are more at risk for heart disease.

So please let me know where you heard that!

No I'm conjecturing, its just testosterone has similar chemical properties to cholesterol. There's nothing counterintuitve about opposing effects on LDL or HDL if thats what you mean, they carry out opposite functions in the body.

They will measure you're testosterone levels & do liver function tests if you are on testosterone for HRT, which has nothing to do with using it for muscle building (which is illegal!) which uses a much higher level of blood testosterone than would be normal.

I can give you a few links but they're only abstracts:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/u524342372523281/
http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/e...ea0014P628.htm

in particular this one!
http://www.touchendocrinedisease.com...h-a7491-1.html

Generally the consensus is that testosterone does not have a cardioprotective role (above normal levels), it is the consequences of low testosterone that lead to problems increasing the cardiovascular disease risk.
(We know testosterone doesn't have a cardioprotective function as oestrogen (estradiol) does and this is why women have a much lower rate of heart attack than men)

Hope this is clear, it difficult to nail down what is an effect and what is a consequence which is why the studies are eager to establish links but not mechanisms

Originally Posted by Robbie

No I'm conjecturing, its just testosterone has similar chemical properties to cholesterol. There's nothing counterintuitve about opposing effects on LDL or HDL if thats what you mean, they carry out opposite functions in the body.

They will measure you're testosterone levels & do liver function tests if you are on testosterone for HRT, which has nothing to do with using it for muscle building (which is illegal!) which uses a much higher level of blood testosterone than would be normal.

I can give you a few links but they're only abstracts:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/u524342372523281/
http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/e...ea0014P628.htm

in particular this one!
http://www.touchendocrinedisease.com...h-a7491-1.html

Generally the consensus is that testosterone does not have a cardioprotective role (above normal levels), it is the consequences of low testosterone that lead to problems increasing the cardiovascular disease risk.
(We know testosterone doesn't have a cardioprotective function as oestrogen (estradiol) does and this is why women have a much lower rate of heart attack than men)

Hope this is clear, it difficult to nail down what is an effect and what is a consequence which is why the studies are eager to establish links but not mechanisms

Great links! Thx. The one link actually shows the opposite of the HDL/LDL idea. It looks like the low testosterone males were actually low in both HDL and LDL until they went on HRT, right? The HRT actually helped them in that case.

And, yes, I agree that it really is only low testosterone that is associated with increased heart risk. But, of course, depending on your age, low testosterone is very common especially with all the endocrine disrupters out there!

Originally Posted by Robbie

No I'm conjecturing, its just testosterone has similar chemical properties to cholesterol. There's nothing counterintuitve about opposing effects on LDL or HDL if thats what you mean, they carry out opposite functions in the body.

They will measure you're testosterone levels & do liver function tests if you are on testosterone for HRT, which has nothing to do with using it for muscle building (which is illegal!) which uses a much higher level of blood testosterone than would be normal.

I can give you a few links but they're only abstracts:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/u524342372523281/
http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/e...ea0014P628.htm

in particular this one!
http://www.touchendocrinedisease.com...h-a7491-1.html

Generally the consensus is that testosterone does not have a cardioprotective role (above normal levels), it is the consequences of low testosterone that lead to problems increasing the cardiovascular disease risk.
(We know testosterone doesn't have a cardioprotective function as oestrogen (estradiol) does and this is why women have a much lower rate of heart attack than men)

Hope this is clear, it difficult to nail down what is an effect and what is a consequence which is why the studies are eager to establish links but not mechanisms

Wow! I just read the link on how metabolic syndrome and insulin sensitivity and IMT are all associated with low testosterone! Sobering stuff! I've been reading a lot lately that metabolic syndrome/syndrome X/insulin sensitivity are high risk factors for heart disease. Keep your testosterone levels up I guess is the moral of the story.

Well, if you have any sites that show how to naturally boost testosterone, let me know. I'm "all ears"!

Severe fatigue, continually worn-out. I almost never have a lot of stamina. REGARDLESS of a lot of sleep. My head doesn't usually function properly, like I'm inside a fog. I just can't completely focus at work, or on projects.

Did you ask the doctor about this?

Off the top of my head - and I'm not a doctor - there are a couple of really obvious things that should be tested for and excluded before getting into anything fancy in the way of diagnostics, let alone testosterone levels.

Thyroid function, anaemia, vitamin D levels, melatonin levels, - all very easy to find out with a simple blood test. And a doctor should ask further questions to find out things related to other possibilities, most of which are fairly straightforward to identify and to exclude as explanations.

It's entirely possible that these problems could be dealt with by a reasonably short course of treatment or by a routine prescription which you might have to take for a longish time. (Maybe forever if it's thyroid or adrenal deficiency.)

Go back to the doctor and check. There are some things he might not have checked - because you're young or because you're male or he got sidetracked by you asking about something specific rather than about general functioning or he's used to thinking of certain conditions as more relevant to women or to older people or to teenagers or some other feature you don't exhibit.

Given your "foggy" thinking, I'd recommend you write down a list of bullet points much as you've done here. Otherwise you will forget to mention something that will only come back to you half an hour after the appointment. The foggy thinking is familiar to me as associated with hypothyroidism - but I've heard other people complain of the same thing with other unrelated conditions - so don't get too specific too quickly.

George, adelady knows wherefrom she speaks. her advice/ thoughts are likely appropriate. wish I could be more help myself. jocular

You may wish to take a glance at Androplus bud. Increased my test quickly, no monkeying around. That's real talk. (Helped get me from about 425 - 780. I'm happy with those levels) It's a t cream like Androgel, but way less expensive and exactly as reliable. I got some without the need for a prescription.

Do not monkey with hormones. That is a sure way to harm yourself. Instead, if you have a problem, as Adelady said, see your doctor.

Other than that, the best advice is healthy living. Nothing weird like hormone supplements. Just a good balanced diet, good exercise, appropriate rest, not smoking or drinking too much alcohol and so on.