How to Boost Your Testosterone Levels Naturally

Testosterone replacement therapy is the only way to treat a medical diagnosis of low testosterone. However, there are ways that you can naturally boost your low testosterone.

Many patients ask, “are there ways to boost my testosterone levels naturally?” The answer is yes!

Testosterone is a critical hormone for both men and women. Unfortunately, we lose this critical hormone as we age. By the time a man is over 30, the level of testosterone in his blood can decrease by as much as 2% every year. As your testosterone drops, you can start to:

Feel tired and sluggish
Put on weight, particularly belly fat
Develop sexual health issues
Have difficulty with focus
Have trouble building muscle, even when working out
Have trouble sleeping
Feel depressed, angry, or anxious

While testosterone replacement therapy remains the only treatment for significantly lower than normal testosterone levels, there are many lifestyle changes you can make that could naturally boost your testosterone levels.

What Are the Best Exercises to Boost Testosterone?

One of the best ways to give your testosterone levels a boost is through exercise. Strength training, such as weightlifting or High-Intensity Interval Training, are the best exercises to boost testosterone. Such exercises also boost your level of growth hormone. Exercise can also help you to lose weight. Obesity lowers your testosterone level.

Are There Testosterone Boosting Foods?

Making changes to your diet can also help you to raise and maintain a higher level of testosterone in your blood. There are testosterone-boosting foods as well as testosterone "killing" foods that men need to be aware of.

The testosterone-boosting foods that you should add to your diet are:

Seafood and Fish – Vitamin D is critical for testosterone production, and shellfish are high in vitamin D. Oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, and salmon, are also rich in vitamin D.
Coconut – Many men, after the age of 40, reduce their consumption of "bad fats" to lose weight and lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease. But low-fat diets can also lead to low testosterone. Coconut is a way to add a "good fat" to your diet to boost testosterone production.
Pumpkin – Pumpkin, and particularly pumpkin seeds, have a lot of zinc. Men with low zinc also tend to be low in testosterone
Whey Proteins – A recent study by the University of Connecticut found that men who increased their intake of whey proteins produced less cortisol. Cortisol is a "stress" hormone that interferes with the production of testosterone. Good sources of whey protein include ricotta cheese, which also includes several essential amino acids, kefir, and yogurt.
Berries – Strawberries, and other dark/red berries such as raspberries and blackberries, also contain powerful antioxidants that can block or reduce the production of cortisol and other testosterone inhibiting hormones.
Cruciferous Vegetables – Leafy greens and other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli contain phytochemicals that block or inhibit the production of estrogen. Estrogen in a man’s body lowers your production of testosterone, so these vegetables have a positive impact on testosterone production. Other veggies in this group include kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy.

The testosterone lowering foods that men should avoid are:

Soy Products – Soy and soy-related products can have a negative impact on a man’s testosterone. Soy contains many isoflavones that have "estrogen-like" qualities. That is why soy is good for women going through menopause but can have the opposite effect on men.
Alcohol – There are several good reasons to minimize your consumption of alcohol. While one drink has been known to loosen the mood, alcohol can also lead to erectile dysfunction. Alcohol also reduces testosterone and increases the production of estrogen when consumed in greater than "social" limits.
Mints, such as spearmint and peppermint – It may come as a surprise to find out that mint is one of the foods that lower testosterone, but it does. In several clinical studies, the herbs of the “mentha," or mint-family, such as spearmint and peppermint, have been found to have testosterone-reducing effects.
Sodas and Junk Food – Of course, if you want to be healthy, you need to avoid junk food, processed food, and soda pop! These are all bad for you for any number of reasons, but the high sugar in soda pop and other junk foods can lead to obesity and diabetes, which have a negative impact on testosterone. Junk foods also contain trans-fats which also have a testosterone lowering effect, among other negative impacts on the body.
Flaxseed Products – Flaxseeds are high in omega 3s, are a good source of fiber, and have other benefits which have made them popular in health food circles over the past few years. However, men should take it easy on them. Like soy, flaxseed oils and products have estrogenic properties, so despite being a generally healthy food, flax still makes our list of foods that can lower testosterone.
Licorice – Licorice may not be a regular part of your diet, but if you are a guy who enjoys it, you should rethink your candy choices. Several studies have found that the main ingredient in licorice, glycyrrhizic acid, which gives it its distinctive flavor, can seriously decrease testosterone production.
Hamburgers – I know, burgers are a staple of many a man’s diet. But if you must chow down on a burger every now and again, avoid fast food burgers, and stick with organic meat. Any chopped meat that is not organic, and especially that is used by fast-food burger joints, is exposed to a ton of hormones, which can wreak havoc on your hormone balance and your testosterone levels.

What Lifestyle Changes Can I Make to Boost Testosterone?

In addition to the dietary changes and exercises mentioned above, there are some other lifestyle changes you can make that can boost testosterone.

Lose Weight – Men who are obese are at greater risk of low testosterone. A recent study in the journal Clinical Endocrinology reported that some obese males between the ages of 14 and 20 have up to 50 percent less testosterone than those who are not overweight.
Reduce stress – Stress raises your cortisol level. Cortisol is a testosterone killer. Elevated cortisol negatively impacts testosterone. One 2016 study found that stressful events contributed to erratic changes to testosterone levels in males.
Get enough sleep – Testosterone, along with growth hormone, another critical hormone, is produced most efficiently during deep sleep, so if you have poor sleep habits, you will be lowering your body’s ability to produce these critical hormones.
Have more sex – Yes, studies have found that engaging in regular sexual activity can actually raise your testosterone levels.
Check your medicine cabinet – Some prescription drugs have the side effect of inhibiting testosterone, including certain treatments for high blood pressure, reflux, and depression.

You can make better food choices, as well as take steps to increase and maintain healthy testosterone levels. However, if you are a man between the ages of 35 and 55, and after taking these steps, still feel tired, weak, or are facing sexual health issues, you may want to have your hormone levels checked. You could benefit from hormone therapy.

Are There Any Nutritional Supplements That Can Boost Testosterone?

There are some vitamins and nutritional supplements that can raise your testosterone level. Among the supplements that have been found to boost testosterone levels, the evidence most strongly supports the use of zinc, followed closely by magnesium.

Zinc – There is a definite connection between the essential nutrient and zinc and testosterone levels. Men with zinc deficiency are often found to have low testosterone. The reverse is also true. Men with low testosterone often are also suffering from zinc deficiency. Zinc is definitely one of the best supplements to take with testosterone.
Magnesium – Much like zinc, low magnesium levels are also associated with low testosterone levels. Studies indicate an increase in magnesium intake can translate into an increase in testosterone production. Magnesium has both a direct and indirect positive impact on testosterone production. The mineral itself is an essential precursor to testosterone production, and also one of magnesium’s primary functions in your body is to help convert vitamin D into its active form. Therefore, magnesium, too, is a recommended supplement to take with testosterone.

Other nutritional supplements that may have the power to enhance the benefits of testosterone therapy include:

D-aspartic acid – This amino acid plays a role in testosterone production and release.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) – DHEA is a hormone that humans naturally make in their adrenal glands. Studies have shown that DHEA supplementation increased testosterone levels in mice with induced low testosterone.
L-arginine – There is some evidence that L-arginine is another amino acid that men on testosterone therapy could take. L-arginine is a supplement recommended to take with testosterone not because it raises testosterone levels directly but seems to help with some of the symptoms of low testosterone, such as fatigue and erectile dysfunction.

There are ways that you can naturally boost your testosterone levels.

Do Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone Treat Low Testosterone?

No. The methods mentioned on this page are not meant to be taken as a substitute or alternative to testosterone replacement therapy. These methods may help you maintain your current level of testosterone or raise it slightly, but if you have been diagnosed with low testosterone, the medical condition known as "hypogonadism" or "andropause," then the only treatment is testosterone therapy.

How Is Low Testosterone Treated?

While these natural ways to boost testosterone can all help to raise your testosterone a bit or help slow the ravages of age-related testosterone decline, if you have had your blood tested and have been diagnosed with low testosterone, the only proven clinical way to treat it, is with testosterone replacement therapy.

If you are between the ages of 35 and 65 and are experiencing severe forms of the symptoms related to low testosterone, you really need to have your testosterone levels checked to see if you do indeed have low testosterone. The signs to watch for include:

Unexplained weight gain
Fatigue
Loss of muscle mass and bone density
Loss of libido or other sexual wellness issues

The only way to determine your testosterone level is with a proper blood test. If your levels are found to be below what would be considered “normal” for your age and lifestyle, you may be a candidate for the many life-changing benefits of testosterone replacement therapy.

The only way to actually treat a diagnosis of low testosterone is with testosterone replacement therapy.

Now that you know a lot more about how to naturally boost testosterone and how to treat low testosterone, why not take a minute to contact us and learn more about how testosterone replacement therapy can improve your quality of life.

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