It seems like you can't listen to any radio station without hearing commercials for some drug that helps men with low testosterone. They tell you all the side effects of low testosterone like, lack of energy, mood problems including depression, increase of body fat, loss of muscle mass and strength, decreased libido or sex drive and erectile dysfunction. But none of them seem to ask, why do all these men have low testosterone now? What has changed that has made males testosterone levels decrease? The answer lies in many areas including, diet, exercise and environment. To try and figure out how or why so many males testosterone levels are dropping, you must first look at how the body produces testosterone.
In humans and most other animals, testosterone is produced primarily by the testicles in males, and to a lesser extent, the ovaries in females. Like other steroid hormones, testosterone is derived from cholesterol. The first step in the biosynthesis involves the oxidative cleavage of the side-chain of cholesterol by cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme. This is why cholesterol plays a factor in the foods that help you increase your testosterone levels. I will get into this more when I cover the foods that increase testosterone.
In men, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as the testis and prostate. As well as promoting increased muscle and bone mass in both men and women. Testosterone is also essential for health, well-being and for the prevention of osteoporosis.
Testosterone promotes many health benefits in both men and women. Healthy testosterone levels are especially important for men. The average male typically experiences a decrease in testosterone production after age 30. Just as in women, this decrease develops feelings of fatigue, weakness, depression and reduced libido. Testosterone is also important for women although they produce less and are more sensitive to the hormone. The ovaries are responsible for over half of a woman's testosterone production. The rest is left up to the adrenal gland. Women often complain of loss of energy, strength and sex drive after having a hysterectomy or having their ovaries removed.
One of the main reasons people are suffering from low testosterone levels is because of the foods they eat, or lack of the right foods needed for optimal testosterone production. To produce testosterone, your body requires several different nutrients. The nutrients that are often depleted among those with low testosterone are vitamin D3 and zinc.
Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in foods that we eat. Deficiencies can result in a wide range of symptoms, because zinc is involved in a number of significant body processes. Often times increasing consumption of foods high in these nutrients like, red meats, raw nuts, oily fish, avocados, broccoli and shrimp, along with cholesterol from sources such as eggs, will increase your body's production of testosterone.
A meat-free diet may lower your testosterone production by up to 14 percent. But don't worry vegan friends and other non meat-eaters. If you have a meat free diet there are vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals essential for testosterone like pumpkin seeds and asparagus. This in combination with incorporating herbs and superfoods like those featured in the Organic Muscle Pre-Workout will increase your testosterone production naturally. These herbs and superfoods include, ginseng, rhodiola rosea, ashwagandha and maca root.
Along with diet, lack of exercise plays a role in low testosterone production. In general, all exercise stimulates testosterone production. But there is data that lifting weights and high intensity training stimulates the greatest release of the hormone. So sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity can lead to lower testosterone levels. There are many exercises and workout routines out there to boost testosterone levels.
Environmental Factors, such as exposure to statin medications, hormones in meat, xenoestrogens (sources like BPA), estrogens in the water, stress and the herbicide roundup may also trigger a decline in hormone production. Limiting exposure in these areas may be hard, but where-ever possible can greatly improve your health. Eating organic foods, avoid meats treated hormones, not drinking city tap water and mediation for stress are a few options.
So, what does this all mean? What do you have to do to increase your testosterone levels? I recommend starting by incorporating as many of the foods mentioned above as possible, add daily exercise to your routine, while avoiding as many of the environmental factors as possible. This in combination with supplementation of the herbs and superfoods like those featured in the Organic Muscle Pre-Workout will make you feel like He-Man in no time!
