1 in 4 men over 30 have Low Testosterone, that's 60 million americans. Even more are in the suboptimal range. when visiting a conventional practitioner you normally follow with normal lab ranges which are totally inadequate. In addition, a conventional practitioner is quick to offer a synthetic replacement Testosterone cream which can potentially cause testicular atrophy, as well as prevent natural Testosterone production. He may not be aware of other healthy alternatives that should be implemented to boost your body's natural ability to produce Testosterone.
When a man is also chronically Stressed, with central Adiposity, eats High Glycemic Foods which cause an Insulin spike, and all that causes a low Testosterone, high Estrogen and abnormal Cortisol.
What is the deal with Low Testosterone?
It may be the reason why men are irritable, suffer from mild depression and lack of motivation, reduced self confidence, concentration and memory. Reduced sleep quality, muscle bulk and strength; diminished physical or work performance; feeling sad or blue, mild anemia and finally increased body fat and body mass index.
When it comes to Musculoskeletal pain in men especially chronic pain it is more likely associated with him having a low Testosterone, in addition possibly higher Estradiol and Cortisol imbalance. All these have been shown to decrease pain threshold.
In addition men who present with Excess Fat especially in the midsection, should seriously look into their hormone levels.
Why is it so important to maintain adequate Testosterone levels?
Researchers showed that levels below 340 ng/dl compared to those above 550 ng/dl showed higher concentration of CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines. This increses your rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In fact with this low level a man would still feel half as well, as someone with a level of 700 ng/dl.
So what are the reasons contributing to men having a low Testosterone?
First is Cortisol. In addition to reducing the ability of cells to producing Testosterone, it also accelerates the destruction of cells responsible to producing Testosterone. It also causes an increase Testosterone conversion to Estradiol. Small changes in stress whether acute or chronic inhibit Testosterone.
Stress in most people will present itself with physical symptoms such as fatigue, headache, upset stomach, muscle tension as well as change in appetite among other symptoms.
Second is Insulin. There is an inversely proportional relationship between Testosterone and Insulin. Also as Insulin sensitivity decreases so is the Blood Sugar increases.
Third is Estrogen. If there is a man with excessive adipose tissue in the midsection it means that he is over expressing the enzyme Aromatase which causes Estrogen to increase. Men with low Estradiol are over 300% more likely to die from any cause. Men with high Estradiol are 133% more likely to die as well. Levels should be 21-30 pg/ml. If a conventional physician follows a normal lab range of 7.6-42.6 pg/ml he may be missing the boat. You have to be aware of what is normal and what is abnormal. Normal ranges are modeled after a population that may not be the healthiest.
What are we to do with Stress?
There are vast tools that someone can implement including Meditation and Yoga. But nutritionaly, there is a scientifically proven supplement that can help. Researchers showed a marked reduction in Cortisol and improvement in Testosterone using this supplement. This is Phosphtidylserine.
What about the Aromatase enzyme or the increased conversion of Testosterone to Estradiol?
A nice supplement is Pomagranate juice and Extract which helps reduce this activity by over half to two thirds. In addition it offers wonderful antioxidants. Another may be Chrysin.
Finally the last factor is Oxidative Stress.
Your diet may likely be deficient in the necessary amout of Antioxidants which leads to Mitochondrial Dysfunction throughout the body including the cells responsible to produce Testosterone.
What is needed is a diet rich in Antioxidants, and is Low Glycemic. Interestingly enough there is also a supplement that has shown to combat Oxidative Stress and improving production of Testosterone in the body. This is done by improving Mitochondrial Function in cells producing Testosterone. This supplement is Astaxanthin. Researchers were also able to demonstrate Astaxanthin to improve male Fertility as well.
To summerize the necessary steps to improve Testosterone production:
> Low Glycemic Antioxidant Rich Diet.
> Intense Physical Exercise. High Intensity Short Interval using rebounder, a climber, elliptical machine or sprinting is an example. 10 Minutes a day is all that is needed. This was shown to improve Insulin sensitivity and raise Testosterone.
> Sleep for no less than 7.5 hours. As poor sleep was shown to be correlated with lower Testosterone levels.Exercise is necessary to reset the circadian rhythm for those experiencing sleep disturbance as well.
>Stress reduction.
>Supplementation.
Look towards a practitioner who can implement a protocol looking at all the necessary steps to improving how you or your loved ones feels, and at the same time improving health and longevity.
