Increasing your body’s natural production of testosterone
Updated: Nov 16, 2018
Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, it is responsible for male sexuality and is the main hormone that produces muscle mass, facial hair, libido and sperm production. When it comes to boosting your body’s natural testosterone what you eat plays a large factor.
Constant dieting or consuming too much food can affect your body’s ability to produce testosterone. In this day and age more and more people are taking on vegan, keto, paleo and vegetarian along with implementing the popular intermittent fasting to their diets. For most people sticking to a strict diet is unsustainable long term and causes a yoyo effect which effects testosterone and hormone production. My personal recommendation is to find what foods your body responds best to from each diet and implement it in to your daily routine whilst keeping an eye on calories in and calories out.
Adequate Protein and Resistance Training
Studies show a 1.6-2.2g per kg of body weight of protein per day will increase your body’s natural production of testosterone and will contribute to muscle building. Implementing good fats and carbohydrates in your diet also have research supporting an increase in the natural production of testosterone when performing regular resistance training.
Stress Reduction
Long term stress can be a big one that can affect your body’s natural production of testosterone. When we get stressed our body produces high cortisol which can lead us to eating more food, drinking more alcohol or making a poor lifestyle choice that will affect our testosterone production.
Sleep Quality
Good sleep is another factor that is important when keeping cortisol levels low and testosterone high. If you are getting minimal sleep per night and eating a lot of food during the day due to stress it will contribute to weight gain.
Avoid Drugs and Alcohol
The National Institute of Drugs and Alcohol Abuse states that excessive drugs and alcohol affects the glands and hormones involved in male reproductive health which can then lead to a reduction in testosterone levels.
Vitamins and Supplements
Ensuring that you are having adequate zinc and magnesium in your diet is important as research shows when zinc and magnesium declines so does your testosterone levels. Taking some testosterone boosters can also be beneficial for those who are testosterone deficient.
References
Almaiman A, (2018) Effect of testosterone boosters on body functions: case report
PubMed Central (PMC)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5870326/
Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, (2018)
How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5828430/
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) |
What 17 Studies Say About Increasing Your Testosterone Naturally
Muscle for Life
https://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-increase-testosterone-naturally/
About the Author
Nic Rider is a corporate health and well-being coach with 8 years experience in the health and fitness industry. He is one of the top age group triathletes in Australia practicing what he preaches as he believes in leading by example to help inspire others. Nic has coached 100's of corporate professionals to start exercise, lose weight, build muscle and improve cardiovascular health along with injury rehabilitation. He has coached clients to run marathons and participate in triathlons along with climb mountains in the Himalayas.
