What is Testosterone, and How It’s Made

Testosterone is basically just an anabolic sex steroid hormone, mainly released in the Leydig cells of the testes in men (95%) and the ovaries and adrenal glands of women. Yes, testosterone is not just a male hormone, and women also produce, but at lower magnitude. Actually, men have roughly about 10 times more testosterone than women. Testosterone is derived from cholesterol. In the adult testicle, there is 700 feet of tubing called the seminiferous tubules. Sperm is made form pre curser germ cells that create 120 million sperm daily. This is called spermatogenesis.

Environmental Factors That Disrupt Fertility

1. Plastic

BPA (bisphenol A)-

BPA is a material that is added to plastic to make it hard. It is known as a xenoestrogen, or foreign estrogen. This means that it attaches to your estrogen receptor cites and turn on estrogen like programs. This can lead to access estrogen in men and women. Access estrogen can lead to breast cancer in women, and lowered fertility in men.

BPS (bisphenol S)-

This is a very similar material to BPA, but is marketed as safer. Just because something says BPA free in it doesn’t mean that it’s safe because BPS is often added in its place.

Phthalates-

These are often used in the personal care industry as a plastic softener. Phthalates disrupt estrogen by affecting the cell signaling pathways. By this action, it was shown that they effect the placenta in a pregnant mother. These chemicals have also been linked to impaired cognition, motor skills, and ADHD.

2. EMFs

Electromagnetic frequencies have been proven to disrupt fertility. This study shows that study participants who kept their phone in their pocket had significantly less sperm quality. Also, in another study, men who kept their phone in their pocket had sperm that was far less usable. Research done at the National Toxicology Program, funded by the NIH, has shown that EMFs are a class A carcinogen, which means we know it causes cancer. These studies were done in 2G, and 3G. 4G, and 5 G could potentially be much worse. Women who put their phone in their bra are far more likely to develop breast cancer. For solutions on how to deal with EMFs, click here.

3. Pesticides

Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides have been proven to be neurogenic, or estrogenic. This means that it disrupts the nervous system, or the endocrine system. It messes with the pests reproduction via hormones. It disrupts the endocrine system by being a xenoestrogen. Also, these are designed to kill very small things, this includes our microbiome. We are made up of these tiny organisms, and pesticides have a profound impact on them.

Natural Strategies To Boost Testosterone

1. Get high quality sleep

The majority of testosterone release occurs while you sleep. There was a study where they deprived men of sleep for 1 week, getting 5 hours per night. After the study, the men had 10-15% reduction in testosterone.

2. Build muscle

Muscle is a reservoir of anti aging hormones, such as testosterone. Lifting weights can stimulate short and long term testosterone production. Muscle is also known as your bodies fat burning machinery. Being over weight will reduce testosterone because fat is an endocrine organ that produces estrogen.

3. Reduce stress

Chronically elevated cortisol (stress hormone) is the best way to tear down muscle tissue. Cortisol is an important hormone, but when secreted too much, and at the wrong times, it will cause health problems. Cortisol and testosterone also compete for the same raw materials to be created. Reducing stress through, meditation, self regulation, and getting enough nutrients is key.

4. Nutrient optimization

Your body requires certain nutrients to create your hormones. Cholesterol is the seed of sex hormones. For testosterone, the most important ones are zinc, magnesium, calcium, creatine, vitamin D, B vitamins, iodine, selenium, vitamin K2, vitamin A, vitamin E, manganese and boron. Also, getting enough essential amino acids and protein is critical. You can be sure to get all of these nutrients if you eat real, whole food.

5. Supplementation

Maca-

Multiple studies show that maca, a root vegetable, enhances drive in both men and women, and this effect keeps improving for 8 weeks before plateauing. It can also benefit men with erectile dysfunction. This study shows how it increases sperm motility and quality. Another one had 20 volunteers who were given maca for 12 weeks, and the same result was shown against the placebo group.

Cacao-

Low nitric oxide levels can cause blood vessels to narrow, leading to poor circulation, which can result in erections that are softer and more difficult to maintain. Cacao can significantly improve nitric oxide levels, leading to better erections.

Creatine-

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid in the body. We can synthesize it through certain nutrients, and we also get it anytime we eat meat. It is probably the most studied supplement that exists. There is quite a large body of data showing that it increases strength, muscle mass and power and affects positively on body composition and sports performance. Creatine helps convert testosterone into DHT, a more potent form of it.