What foods and lifestyle changes can decrease your testosterone.
The list of the factors that bind T so you can’t use it and those that produce estrogens block free testosterone in both men and women of all ages. The list of lifestyle choices and is much longer than the list of factors you can use to stimulate testosterone.
- Soy in many foods: It is a fact that foods that are processed have many “fillers” that are invisible to the person eating them. These fillers are often the culprit decreasing naturally produced testosterone levels and available or active T called free T. The biggest problem at the present is the addition of soy to nearly every processed food, even ice cream. Soy is a phytoestrogen. Phyto Estrogens in food (not medical estrogen) act as a female hormone, limiting the effectiveness of testosterone and the production of T.
To avoid soy in everything you eat, you must do two things: 1. Eat basic meals cooked by you or a family member from fresh foods that do not include canned or processed foods, and 2. you have to look at the label and only buy products without soy. Currently there are only 2 brands of ice cream that don’t add soy. Soy gives men a “Beer Belly” and all other foods with soy will also increase the fat collection in the abdominal area of both sexes. Soy is the primary proteins of vegans and therefore it is consumed in large volume therefore has more of an effect on lowering free T and T levels.
- Eating out of and microwaving in plastic containers (even drinking water out of plastic) causes our bodies to absorb the plastic chemical’s estrogen. This does us no good and is a contaminant and toxin that we store in our body fat. It is the biggest enemy of T. It is everywhere and is considered the leading cause of lowering the average T level of men aged 15-40. It is everywhere so stop cooking in it and drinking from it when you can! Don’t eat out of plastic bags, or microwave plastic containers, or plastic bags with food in it.
- Diabetes should be treated, and blood levels of sugar should be kept in control as low as possible for type 2 diabetes.
- Omega 6 fatty acids shrink the testes while the Omega 3 FA increase the activity of the testes
- Dairy has inherent estrogen in it and animal feed often contains soy, and that makes the milk and meat higher in estrogen.
- Trans Fats—Are in most processed foods.
- Chips, any snack food that is not dried fruit or nuts
- Commercial baked goods, such as cakes, cookies, and pies.
- Microwave popcorn.
- Frozen pizza.
- Refrigerated dough, such as biscuits and rolls.
- Fried foods, including french fries, doughnuts, and fried chicken.
- Nondairy coffee creamer.
- Stick margarine.
- Alcohol is a toxin and slows fat loss, damages the liver, and increases estrogen production in the liver, which inactivates testosterone.
- Obesity is dangerous to us in so many ways. The mere fact of being obese increases our risk for multiple diseases, but fat also converts testosterone in to estrone and estradiol in both men and women. The fatter a person is the less free testosterone he or she has.
- Being a Couch Potatoes. being inactive, is deadly for testosterone production and free Testosterone. Inactivity increases fat production and estrogen production. Moderate exercise every day is the answer!
- Over activity causes an increase in SHBG which binds testosterone. Marathoners and professional athletes run the risk of binding their good total testosterone so that it is not free to bind to Testosterone receptors.
- Fasting can cause increase in free testosterone by increasing SHBG. Humans were built to eat small amounts often, and eating one meal a day increases SHBG, that inactivates free T.
- Licorice root (in black licorice), Ashwaghanda and all mint family herbs even basil decrease active Testosterone blood levels.
- Phytoestrogens are in many women’s natural supplements that are touted to decrease hot flashes. They only provide minimal relief, but also increase fat gain and estrone levels that cause inactivity of testosterone.
- Medications can lower the testosterone levels in both men and women
- Oral contraceptives increase estrone so much that they inactivate testosterone and suppress FSH and LH that stimulated the production of T from the ovary.
- Oral menopausal ERT and HRT binds up T and causes decrease of all of the benefits of T from replacement and natural T production however minimal after menopause.
- Finasteride and Dutasteride given to prevent hair loss or prostate enlargement causes a decrease of DHT to a point where sex drive, erectile function and muscle mass are impaired.
- Arimidex can cause an increase in testicular production of T, but in a small production of men and women it can inactivate the receptors for DHT and T.
As the research about testosterone progress, we will find more and more lifestyle issues that decrease T total and T free levels that can interfere with normal production of T and free T in both men and women. As these are studied researched, we will update you on the issues you can base your lifestyle and medical treatments on.
This Health cast was written and presented by Dr. Kathy Maupin, M.D., Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Expert and Author. www.BioBalanceHealth.com • (314) 993-0963. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and please check “ Like “. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at BioBalanceHealth.
