Testosterone improves not just your sex drive, but it also enhances exercise drive, energy for work, mental sharpness, muscle repair, and revs your metabolism to help with weight control. Although improving testosterone levels has not yet been shown to increase lifespan, having a healthy testosterone level improves quality of life for both men and women.
There are three ways to increase testosterone activity naturally with simple lifestyle choices. The first is to increase total testosterone production. Second is to increase the amount of free and active testosterone that can stimulate testosterone receptors. The third is to unblock testosterone receptors, opening them up for testosterone stimulation.
Raise testosterone levels
- Get enough sleep. Most testosterone is made during the sleep cycle. If you are sleep deprived, you’ll be testosterone deprived, too.
- Lose body fat. Fat cells convert testosterone to estrogen. Lose 10-20 pounds and you will see an increase in testosterone levels.
- Eat more healthy fat (Enjoy fat from avocados, nuts, olive oil, seafood). Testosterone is made from fat and people on low fat diets have a drop in testosterone levels.
- Get enough zinc. Men who are zinc deficient have a drop in testosterone production. Good sources of zinc are oysters, dark chocolate, and a multivitamin. However, men with normal zinc intake do not make more testosterone if they take extra zinc.
Increase free testosterone, if testosterone is bound (stuck) to protein, it isn’t free to stimulate testosterone receptors and activate testosterone activity
- Get enough vitamin D, 1500 to 2000 IU daily are recommended. Adequate vitamin D lowers sex hormone binding globulin, which binds to testosterone.
- Avoid eating sugar and refined carbs (any source of flour or sugar). A jump in blood sugar levels increases blood stickiness, binding testosterone to protein.
- Do interval or burst exercise training. Intense exercise increases free testosterone levels by releasing testosterone that are stuck to proteins.
- Do strength training to build muscle mass. Building mass increases free testosterone levels.
Unblock testosterone receptors
- Eat hormone free dairy, poultry, and meats. Estrogens block testosterone receptors, decreasing testosterone activity. Avoid consuming dietary hormones by choosing organic, free-range or grass fed animal protein.
- Avoid cooking food with plastic. Plastics contain estrogen-like compounds that block testosterone receptors.
- Minimize drinking out of plastic bottles. Soft plastic bottles release plastic compounds (estrogen like molecules) into the liquid.
- Avoid cans and containers lined with BPA. Most cans in the USA are lined with a cancer causing plastic like compound call BPA. Avoid canned products that contain BPA.
One bonus tip!
If you take a statin (cholesterol lowering medication) and you follow the 30-Day Heart Tune-Up program, there is a good chance you’ll be able to work with your doctor and over time safely stop your statin medication. Statin medications lower cholesterol, and you need cholesterol to make testosterone. Ask your doctor what you can do with lifestyle changes to not need a statin medication. Improving your cholesterol profile is only part of the answer. Many of the risk calculators doctors use look at tobacco use, body weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Improve all your risk factors, and often you won’t qualify for a medication!
I wish you the best of health and happiness,
Steven Masley, MD, FAHA, FACN, FAAFP, CNS
Will taking a supplement that increases free testosterone cause problems if you have an enlarged prostrate or a family history of prostate cancer
Supplements typically have very little effect of testosterone levels–companies over market the benefit of their supplement products.
If you have low testosterone and are prescribed testosterone therapy by your doctor, it does not increase your risk for getting prostate cancer. However, in some patients with existing prostate cancer, adding testosterone hormone therapy can make the cancer grow faster. Men with low testosterone levels are actually more likely to get prostate cancer than men with normal prostate levels. You need to discuss these details with your physician and make the best decision for you.
Steven Masley, MD
I was depressed, getting fat, and zero libido. My doc did a full blood work up. My Total Testosterone level was 289 ng/dl. He offered TRT but I declined because I knew, at 53, that if I went on TRT my own testosterone production would shut down and at my age I would have a pretty difficult time kick starting it up again. I researched and researched for about a month. I started on Vitamin D 10,000 iu per day ( I knew this was a safe amount because I tested at 26ng/dl and optimum level is anywhere between 40-80ng/dl. I also took 1,200 mg of magnesium, 9mg of Boron and Vitamin K Complex. Tested again 3 months later and blood work showed I was at 720.
Keep up the good work and monitor over time. Some men’s testosterone levels fluctuate greatly, although you did several things that typically raise your levels moderately.