Testosterone has been getting a bad rap in our modern state of affairs. In this post I would like to share some positive facts on this steroid sex hormone, and show you the benefits it offers.
It is estimated that 39% of men over the age of 45 have low testosterone. This would be levels below 300 ng/dl.
Both men and women need different amounts of testosterone to feel strong, healthy, and in balance.
So what is testosterone?
Testosterone is found in humans and animals. It is a steroid hormone, or androgen sex hormone. It stimulates the development of male characteristics and is largely produced in the testes, ovaries, and adrenal cortex. Hormones control many different bodily functions.
As soon as we enter puberty our hormone production surges and by the time we hit age 30 it start to decrease, but that doesn’t mean low levels are a healthy sign as we age!
Another form of testosterone is called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). It is important to know DHT levels when tracking your hormonal status, as testosterone gets converted into DHT. DHT has similar effects on the body as testosterone.
What are the benefits of testosterone?
Most people associate testosterone with sex drive. And it certainly supports that part of our lives, as well as sperm production in men. But testosterone has many other benefits as well:
Supports bone and muscle mass
Directs the way we store fat in our body
Supports red blood cell production
Affects our mood and metabolism
Growth and development
Reproduction
Testosterone is also a lusitropic that promotes heart relaxation. (Tsang S, Wong SS, Wu S, Kravtsov GM, Wong TM.)
Prevents prostate fibrosis due to balancing the estrogen to testosterone ratio.
The same benefits occur for women, except that females need to keep the androgenic effects of testosterone in balance to avoid facial hair growth, oily skin, acne, and balding.
Testosterone is utterly important for our body’s health,
so let’s not demonize it so much!
Symptoms of low testosterone
Low sex drive
Problems having an erection
Low sperm count
Sleep problems such as insomnia
Decrease in muscle size and strength
Bone Loss
Increase in body fat
Depression
Trouble concentrating
Growing “man boobs”
Symptoms of high testosterone
Skin gets oily, and acne occurs more often
Increased sex drive and erections
Increased muscle mass
Balding
Increased blood pressure, which manifests as skin redness, headaches, dizziness, etc.
Mood swings (This does not necessarily mean stereotypical aggression, but rather heightened irritability, trouble sleeping, and anxiety may occur)
If predisposed to sleep apnea, it may worsen
Faster and even excessive growth of facial and body hair.
How is testosterone made in the body?
What most people don’t understand is that testosterone is made from the food, vitamins and minerals we eat throughout the day. As soon as you open your eyes you start making all sorts of hormones for the day. Most of your testosterone is made in the morning and you need building blocks for this to happen.
The precursors: Your body first makes Pregnenolone and DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), two hormones that get converted into Testosterone.
Who signals what: Your hypothalamus and pituitary glands (two glands that sit in your brain) signal to your gonads and ovaries how much testosterone is to be made for the day. You can see how brain health is important to give proper signaling.
Where is testosterone made: Testosterone is then synthesized in your ovaries or testicles and will be released into the bloodstream. From there it is sent to places where it is needed to control specific bodily functions.
Building blocks:
Testosterone is made out of cholesterol which is a dietary fat (mainly derived from animal sources). Cholesterol is generally considered unhealthy, but we actually need it to make all sex hormones!
Enzymes are of utter importance to create testosterone.
There are also co-factors needed to produce, activate and regulate testosterone amounts in our body. Such co-factors are:
Zinc
Magnesium
Carnitine
Vitamin C
Fat soluble vitamins like D, E, K
B vitamins like Folate and B6
Things that decrease testosterone
Shock and stress cause progesterone and testosterone to decrease, and estrogen to increase. Hans Selye
Inflammation is another factor that needs to be addressed as it interferes with hormone regulation and production.
Excessive workout and physical exercise use up your total testosterone production.
Circadian rhythm imbalances, such as going to bed late and getting up late. Lack of experiencing sunrise and sunset signaling to your pituitary gland. Also, getting too much blue light before bed which interrupts your circadian rhythm.
Skipping breakfast, as it will not provide the building blocks for testosterone production.
How to test for testosterone
The simplest way is to test free and total testosterone via blood work. Since Testosterone is converted into DHT and estrogen it would be smart to test for those markers as well in order to get the full picture. Another is DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) since that is the precursor to your hormones. If you just check for one marker you won’t be able to pin point causes of potential low levels of testosterone.
Accuracy in blood tests. For testosterone, the accuracy in bloodwork is pretty good but as soon as we want to measure DHEA and estrogen, we might get false results due to the hourly fluctuation of levels in the blood. A much better place to test is an Urine Hormone test where we can see the metabolites of these particular hormones and the total production of the day. More on this in a later post; I specialize in reading blood and urine labs and it is one of my favorite ways to help you identify your conversion issues and total hormone production.
Another important factor for blood work is the lab range. Unfortunately the lab ranges have been widened over the last several decades so that it often looks like you are in range when in reality you are not.
For example the 'normal' testosterone ranges for most labs are between 280 and 1,100 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) for adult males, and between 15 and 70 ng/dL for adult females, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.
OPTIMAL LEVELS are between 600-900 ng/dl for men! And Women should be on the upper end of their range to feel best.
Things that support testosterone production.
I am sure by now you can tell that taking a bunch of synthetic supplements will not really help your testosterone production all that much. I always aim for nutrient dense whole foods to provide building blocks for my body. Synthetic building blocks are harder for your body to use and the absorption rate is very low.
Foods that are nutrient dense and help with testosterone production:
Animal fat from meat, eggs, dairy, and organ meat provide all fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K, and B vitamins, zinc, creatinine and cholesterol.
Seasonal fruits provide whole food vitamin C in a highly bioavailable form.
Gelatin, which is a building block for your enzymes.
And as always, reduce daily stress and stressors. Incorporate real relaxation, which charges up your body and initiates repair. Calming the nervous system will reduce stress, which will support signaling in your glands. Any kind of stress reduction, be it mental, emotional or physical will reduce inflammation, which in return opens up your hormone highways.
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