Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, but females also have small amounts of it. It is a steroid hormone, produced in men’s testicles and women’s ovaries .The adrenal glands also produce small amounts.
Production increases during puberty and starts to decrease after age 30.
For each year over age 30, the level of testosterone in men starts to slowly dip at a rate of around 1 percent per year. A decrease in testosterone level is a natural result of aging. As men age, they can experience a number of symptoms related to sexual function that may be a result of lowered levels of this hormone.
These include:
- Reduced desire for sex
- fewer erections that happen spontaneously, such as during sleep
- infertility
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is not commonly caused by low testosterone production. In cases where ED accompanies lower testosterone production, hormone replacement therapy may help your ED.
A number of physical changes can happen to your body if you have low testosterone levels. Testosterone is sometimes referred to as the “male” hormone. It helps increase muscle mass, leads to body hair, and contributes to an overall masculine form.
Decreases in testosterone can lead to physical changes as well including the following:
- increased body fat
- decreased strength/mass of muscles
- fragile bones
- decreased body hair
- swelling/tenderness in the breast tissue
- hot flashes
- increased fatigue
- effects on cholesterol metabolism
Even if you don’t have sleep apnea, low testosterone can still contribute to a decrease in the hours of sleep. Researchers aren’t yet sure why this happens. In addition to causing physical changes, having low levels of testosterone can affect you on an emotional level. The condition can lead to feelings of sadness or depression.
Testosterone is a hormone that affects emotional regulation. Depression has been linked to men with low testosterone. This could result from a combination of the irritability, decreased sex drive, and fatigue that can come with low testosterone.
In this article, we list the best foods for increasing testosterone levels. We also describe products to avoid and other ways to increase testosterone production.
- Egg Yolks
Egg yolks are known to contain a large amount of vitamin D. Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps the body absorbs calcium. It’s important for the health of bones, the immune system, and many other body functions. Egg yolks are a rich source of vitamin D and cholesterol and since testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol it is a good option when not in risk of pressure of cholesterol related complications.
- Low Fat Milk
Milk is a great source of protein and calcium. Milk is also high in Vitamin D.
Consuming milk fortified with vitamin D is another good way to enhance your testosterone levels. The vitamin D in the milk, as we are aware, helps in this aspect
You can have a glass of milk every morning. You can also add it to your breakfast cereal. One thing to note is to make sure the milk you choose is specifically fortified with Vitamin D. The good thing is you don’t even have to drink whole milk you can drink skim or low-fat and still get all the same nutrients and benefits. Plus, you will get much less saturated fat with these alternatives.
You can get your pack of milk from your nearest supermarket store.
- Fortified Cereals
Consuming cereals fortified with vitamin D is also a good way to boost testosterone levels. The cereals contain other healthy nutrients as well that help jump-start your day. Have the cereals as part of your regular morning breakfast.
- Beef
Beef is another great source of vitamin D that boosts testosterone levels. Venison (deer meat) is rich in protein, just like most meat foods, and is important for testosterone. Inadequate protein can increase the levels of certain hormones in the body that can deactivate testosterone.
But be wary of beef – as it contains more fat than most meaty foods. Choose lean cuts of beef and avoid eating beef every day.
- Tuna
Tuna is another source of Vitamin D. These fish are rich in vitamin D, a nutrient linked to testosterone production It is also good for the heart and very low in calories. It really doesn’t matter if you choose to eat tuna from a can or fresh from the sea, this is a great source to turn to for boosting your testosterone. Just remember to consume everything in moderation too much of any one thing can be bad.
- Beans
White, kidney, and black beans, all are considered sources of vitamin D and zinc. One more bonus is these foods are full of plant-based proteins which can help with heart health. Make beans a part of your regular evening salad.
- Shellfish and Oysters
Oysters are high in Zinc, which is an essential nutrient which aids development during puberty. Since oysters are exceptionally high sources of the mineral zinc, they will help ensure you are getting the Zinc needed to keep testosterone levels nice and high
- Garlic
Studies have shown that eating garlic can have proliferative and restorative effects on serum testosterone levels. It’s thought that this is due to a chemical in garlic known as daily sulfide. If you like to spice things up then adding garlic to your meals can help increase your foods flavor profile as well as provide testosterone boosting benefits. The reason is garlic contains allicin, a compound that lowers levels of Cortisol. Some nutritionists say that Cortisol competes with Testosterone within the muscles. So eliminating Cortisol might be the key to boosting Testosterone. One thing to note is garlic is most potent when eaten raw. You can simply garnish your dishes with roasted garlic. Consuming one garlic clove a day can also help.
- Olive Oil
Olive oil contains healthy fats, which, as per some sources, may boost testosterone levels. A weekly dose of olive oil could be better than Viagra at helping boost a man’s performance in the bedroom, new research suggests.
Scientists from the University of Athens says just nine tablespoons of the popular condiment is enough to reduce impotence by around 40 per cent. Olive oil can also help dramatically increase testosterone levels, which reduces the risk of erectile dysfunction, which is the inability to get and maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse.