More and more are asking me about testosterone therapy.  I don't provide it but am honored that they value my opinion on the matter.  The reasons for taking it are vast, from trying to boost energy, sex drive, building muscles, etc.  

The reality is that low T in men isn't just because we are aging.  Studies show that men’s testosterone levels have been declining for decades. The most prominent, a 2007 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed a “substantial” drop in U.S. men’s testosterone levels since the 1980s, with average levels declining by about 1% per year.  This means, for example, that a 60-year-old man in 2004 had testosterone levels 17% lower than those of a 60-year-old in 1987. 

Another study of Danish men produced similar findings, with double-digit declines among men born in the 1960s compared to those born in the 1920s.

I like to think that I can reverse that trend but also set up my 4 boys for robust levels.  I had mine checked in 2018 with a level of 643 ng/dl.  Almost a year ago, I had it rechecked. The levels were 794 (age 42).  No testosterone therapy.  

The pause I have with external testosterone support centers and providers is that they don't ever address WHY testosterone may be dropping other than blaming it on age.  Their commercials say they are treating the cause, but that's just an outright lie.   They test and inject, end of story. 

My goal with these posts is to make you smarter, so in this edition, I want to go through 3 potential non-age-related reasons your T levels are tanking that I would bet your doctor has never discussed.  

Not only has the war on cholesterol failed to prevent heart disease, there are unintended consequences occurring of disrupting hormone health nation wide.

Cholesterol isn't something that clogs your arteries just for the heck of it.  Cholesterol is part of the repair process of your arteries (or any tissue) being damaged by uncontrolled blood sugars, consumption of toxic seed oils, and inflammatory processes going overboard.  It's literally your internal glue patching you back together.  You better thank cholesterol, not curse it.

Unfortunately, "science" mislabeled the crime scene of a plaque as an act of too much cholesterol and the war on fat occurred.  It would be like "science" blaming house fires on the fire department, because every time you see a fire, the fire department just so happens to be there too.    

What does all that have to do with testestosterone?   Testosterone (just like estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, aldosterone, and Vitamin D) is a hormone made from that villainized sticky, waxy-like substance called cholesterol.  

What do you think may happen to the levels of those hormones if we have millions of people on medication to lower THE very building block of those hormones?  Could it have a profound effect on testosterone levels?  How about Vitamin D?  Is the Low T center asking people if they are on a statin before administering treatment?  

Aromatase is an enzyme that makes your body convert testosterone into estrogen.  If you have a loved one that has experienced breast or ovarian cancer, chances are they have taken an aromatase inhibitor to prevent excess estrogen production. 

One of the places this enzyme is most abundant is in adipose tissue, your body fat.  As I've written previously, I don't think we have as much of an over-fat issue in this nation as we do an under-muscled one.  

Instead of trying to lose fat, focus on gaining muscle.  Not all exercise is created equal.  Walking isn't going to build muscles fast enough to do this unless you start walking with a heavy pack too.  Walking is essential, but name a professional athlete or Navy Seal that got to their level of ability by walking.  You have to push, pull, and pick up stuff with repetition and consistency.  

The side effect of building muscles (the process of breaking them down and repairing them), is that this signals the need for more testosterone production to keep up with the recovery.  

Hormones are in a feedback loop.  If you have hormones coming in from external sources, the body lowers internal production.  If you have an increased need internally due to external forces like lifting heavy things, the body will jump into action to produce that requirement.  

As you build muscles, they get greedy and want to be fed all the time and start pulling from your excess body fat stores, thus slowing the opportunity for testosterone to be stolen and converted into estrogen. 

Lifting heavy and often = Win Win.  More muscle = more testosterone production.  Less fat = less aromatase activity.  

Even if you are taking testosterone, go lift heavy.  It's still a requirement.  You can't just take T and keep an inactive lifestyle or do moderate amounts of cardio and expect the desired result. 

You may know Glyphosate as the weed killer Round Up produced by the infamous industrial chemical company Monsanto . 

I've written about Glyphosate in the past with regard to it being a thyroid disruptor.   It does so by destroying the enzymes that make the amino acids Phenylalanine, Tryptophan (the main building block of serotonin), and Tyrosine (the T in T3 and T4).  

But it's not just the thyroid.  Your testosterone levels can take a hit from this herbicide as well.  

It works by directly inhibiting steroidogenesis in Leydig cells (testes) by disrupting expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein.  

Steroidogenesis:  The manufacturing of steroid hormones (testosterone).  This will be a double whammy if you're also trying to lower your cholesterol like discussed above.  Not only are you taking away building blocks to make testosterone with statins or red yeast rice, these herbicides add another layer of resistance by not being able to create testosterone.

You're going to find an abundance of glyphosate in convenient-based products like breads, cereals, and grain-based packaged products.  Remember, grains are things like wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn.  Yes, corn is a grain, not a vegetable.  Soy, though a legume, is another major glyphosate recipient.

These convenient-based grain products also typically contain toxic oils, have major effects on blood sugar, creating insulin resistance, and more deposits of adipose tissue around that mid section (and we cycle back to aromotase).

So what are men supposed to do?  Even if you're already taking testosterone therapy, these rules still apply. 

1.  Lift heavy stuff on a regular schedule.

2.  Stop eating like a 21 year old (ditch the grain products and beer)

3.  Question your doctor when you're told that you need to lower your cholesterol.