Testosterone manufacturers have come under fire recently for failing to adequately warn patients of the potential dangers of their products. In total, there were thousands of lawsuits resulting in payments of hundreds of millions of dollars. But what about the manufacturers of “natural” testosterone boosters? Cam an herbal extract also result in harm? Let’s look at increasing testosterone by using lifestyle changes, and examine the evidence regarding the use of natural boosters.
How to Increase Testosterone Naturally Without Supplements
* Reduce stress, and reduce cortisol. There seems to be an inverse relationship between cortisol and testosterone. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880087/
* Besides the obvious and enduring benefits of exercise it has also been shown to increase testosterone levels and semen parameters. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22234399/ Take your pick! High intensity workouts and resistance training both have been shown to have this extra bonus.
* Don’t burn the candle at both ends. Make sure that you get enough sleep. The majority of testosterone release occurs during sleep, and T levels peak in the early morning hours. Even in young men, sleep deprivation results in plummeting testosterone levels.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445839/
* Avoid soy products, but feel free to have that extra cup of caffeinated coffee! https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-11-86
What About Natural Testosterone Boosters? Do They Even Work?
The answer is sometimes. Most testosterone boosters have multiple ingredients with very little evidence to suggest efficacy. For instance, some dubious products contain massive amounts of random vitamins. A common myth is that providing “extra” Vitamin D will somehow magically increase Testosterone, despite evidence to the contrary. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0033-1345139 It almost seems like the marketing plan for some promoters is to put as many exotic sounding extracts in their pills as possible. Sadly, there are few prospective studies on humans to back up nebulous claims abounding with ill-defined, hollow assertions.
Two herbal components stand apart and seem to have plausible benefits backed up with solid data obtained in prospective human studies: fenugreek and ashwagandha.
https://academic.oup.com/advances/article-abstract/12/3/744/5956480
Testosterone Replacement Reverses Androgen Deficiency- AKA Androgen Pause Or Hypogonadism. Symptoms Include:
1)Decreased muscle mass
2)Decreased bone mass
3)Increased central body fat
4)Decreased sexual desire-low libido
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701485/
What Are The Dangers of Too Much Testosterone? If Testosterone Boosters Really Work, Can They Cause The Same Type Of Problems As Conventional Replacement?
Excessive Testosterone has been linked to BPH (prostate growth causing urinary symptoms), prostate cancer, cardiovascular events including pulmonary embolism, erythrocytosis, gynecomastia (breast growth), acne, male pattern baldness and liver disease. For unexplained reasons, some men think that these side effects don’t apply to testosterone produced “naturally” by boosters. Testosterone seems to arouse clotting factors. The effect does not discriminate between testosterone that is natural or exogenous. The results can be catastrophic, and even lead to pulmonary embolism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5630464/
