How does nutrition impact the level of testosterone in the human body?

  

Testosterone is the most talked about hormone in the human body. Many experts believe it to be the most important hormone in males. Sometimes many people misunderstand this hormone. This article is all about the role of nutrition and how it impacts testosterone levels in the human body.

What is testosterone

• Testosterone is a male sex hormone that is important for sexual and reproductive development. It is a male-dominant hormone because females produce very less testosterone in their ovaries.

• It belongs to a class of male hormones known as androgens.
• The testicles produce roughly 80% of the testosterone while the adrenal glands produce the rest.
• The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland work together to control the production of testosterone.

How does calorie consumption affect the level of testosterone?

• Calories are the most important variable when it comes to nutrition. Not only does it impact the production of testosterone but also your health and well-being.

• Calorie maintenance is when the number of calories you consume is equal to the number of calories you burn. This does not impact your testosterone levels.

• There are two instances that affect your testosterone levels which are when you eat too many and you eat too low.

How does a calorie surplus impact your testosterone levels?

• A calorie surplus is when the number of calories you consume is greater than the number of calories you burn.

• If you do not exercise, these extra calories would be stored in the body as body fat. This leads to a person being overweight.

How does being overweight impact testosterone levels

• When a person is overweight, testosterone converts into estrogen, a female hormone in the fat tissue. This rate of conversion increases when a person has more body fat.
• Obesity hurts the function of the testicles. This means the testicles produce less testosterone.
• The most important thing is that testosterone is a fat-soluble hormone and can easily be stored in the fat tissue.

• Thus if you are on a calorie surplus and lead a sedentary lifestyle, the testosterone levels in your body will decrease because a higher amount is stored as body fat.
• But if you do strength training or any other form of exercise, a calorie surplus will not have a negative impact on your testosterone levels.

How does a calorie deficit impact your testosterone levels?

• A calorie deficit is when the number of calories you consume is less than the number of calories you burn.

• A very high-calorie deficit not only hurts your testosterone levels but also makes you weak because the body needs some calories to perform physical and physiological activities.

• Kiddy et al conducted a study on the impact of a very low-calorie diet on testosterone levels in women. After 2 weeks, it was found that the participants' testosterone levels decreased by 40%.
• Strauss et al conducted another study on the impact of a very low-calorie diet on testosterone levels in competitive wrestlers. After 2 months of study, the participants' testosterone levels also decreased.
• Other studies were conducted where soldiers followed a low, moderate, and high-calorie diet along with 5 days of exercise and sleep deprivation. After five days, the testosterone levels in the participants in the low-calorie diet decreased by 50% testosterone and the other participants had a decrease of 20%.
• One thing that you must note is that intensive exercise and sleep deprivation also decreased testosterone levels.
• Thus a very low-calorie diet has a negative impact on your testosterone levels.

The relation between intermittent fasting and testosterone

• Most people believe that eating during a particular part of the day might have a positive or negative impact on their testosterone levels.
• This belief is not true. A 2015 meta-study conducted at the University of Sydney stated there is no relation between meal timing and testosterone levels.
• But there is one dieting strategy that is very popular and some even believe it to have a positive impact on testosterone levels. That dieting strategy is intermittent fasting.
• Intermittent fasting is when you eat between 4 and 8 hours and fast for the rest of the day.

• A study showed that a short fast increased the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels by 67% in non-obese men. The LH handles stimulating testosterone which means it increases testosterone levels. But, the effect was not the same in the case of obese men.
• But the longer duration of fasting does not have a positive impact on testosterone levels. A study showed that on the third day of fasting, morning testosterone levels started decreasing.
• Thus short fasts can increase testosterone levels while longer ones hurt them. But it does not have the same outcome in the long run. The 2015 meta-study conducted at the University Of Sydney stated that this dieting strategy is not better than following a regular diet.
• A 2016 research study conducted by Texas Tech University stated that intermittent fasting decreased testosterone levels.
• Thus due to lack of enough evidence, it is hard to say does intermittent fasting actually influence testosterone levels.

How do carbohydrates impact your testosterone levels?

•  It is evident that calories indeed influence your testosterone levels. But when it comes to nutrition, one should also know the importance of macronutrients.
• A 2010 study by the University Of North Carolina found that a low-carb diet combined with daily exercise led to an increase in cortisol levels and a decrease in testosterone levels. There was a similar outcome in a study 20 years earlier.

• Researchers found that cortisol and testosterone have an inverse relationship. This means the more your testosterone levels, the less your cortisol levels. Let us understand the entire process.
• Carbohydrates increase insulin levels which is important to transfer the energy of carbohydrates to the cells.

• Since insulin decreases cortisol levels, thus higher amount of carbohydrates decreases cortisol levels.
• Thus it is evident that a regular carb diet increases insulin levels that decrease cortisol levels which leads to a higher testosterone level. Remember one should not eat excess carbs. An ideal range of carbohydrates is between 1-1.75g/pound of bodyweight depending on your workout intensity.

How do fats impact your testosterone levels?

• Fats play an important role in influencing your hormone production and testosterone levels.

• One should consume good fats that include polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and saturated fats.
• Polyunsaturated fats improve blood cholesterol and fight excess inflammation in our bodies.

• Monounsaturated fats not only improved blood cholesterol levels but boost testosterone production. Further, it also lowers the risk of heart disease.

• Saturated fats have a bad reputation because there is a belief that it increases the risk of heart disease. This is false because egg yolk is a rich source of saturated fats and it lays the foundation for testosterone production. 
• Further studies have found that saturated fats help one keep their sex drive even when they are in a calorie deficit.

• Thus one should consume all the above fat sources in the ratio of 1:1:1 to increase testosterone levels. 
• You should avoid trans fat as this not only decreases testosterone levels but also increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

How does protein impact your testosterone levels?

• The role of protein in influencing your testosterone levels is very simple, there is none.
• A 2006 study conducted by the College of New Jersey found that there is no impact of protein on testosterone levels.
• Scientists split weightlifters into three groups. The first group consumed 1-1.4g/kg body weight of protein, the second group consumed 1.6-1.8g/kg body weight of protein, and the third group consumed 2g/kg body weight of protein. After twelve weeks of training and diet, there were no significant changes in testosterone levels.
• Thus protein does not influence your testosterone levels. But one should consume enough protein for weight loss and muscle growth.

Conclusion

• It is clear that nutrition plays an important role in impacting our testosterone.
• One must also consider that this might not be the outcome for individuals of all populations.
• Thus one must always take into consideration a medical background or history of a particular person.