Boosting Testosterone
Testosterone is an extremely important hormone for both men and women. It contributes to all aspects of life, including muscle mass, bone density, and mental well-being. Andrew Huberman uses a combination of nutritional supplements to maintain healthy and optimised testosterone levels.
While Huberman recommends many nutritional supplements to improve testosterone levels, he highlights that the most important factors for testosterone levels are quality sleep, regular exercise, healthy diet, and avoiding chronic stress. So before you start looking into nutritional supplements, make sure you have optimised these four things in your life.
- Tongkat Ali
- 400 mgDaily
Tongkat Ali is a Southeast Asian plant which is used in traditional medicine. It is well known for its testosterone-boosting properties.
- Research has shown increased testosterone levels by up to 37% in men
- Tongkat Ali stimulates Leydig cells in the testes to release more testosterone
- Boosts male fertility parameters
- Improves stress resilience
Huberman's suggestions for Tongkat Ali
- Take Tongkat Ali early in the morning, as it can have a stimulant effect
- Use it every day rather than intermittently, as the effects enhance after 2-3 months
- Continuous usage is generally acceptable, unless your blood test results shows up elevated liver enzymes or other problems
- Fadogia Agrestis
- 400-600 mgDaily
Fadogia Agrestis is a plant originating from Nigeria. Huberman uses it daily to increase his testosterone levels. He takes Fadogia for 8-12 weeks and then cycles off for a few weeks.
Fadogia Agrestis is increasing Luteinizing Hormone which stimulates testes to produce more testosterone.
It is important to keep monitoring your blood regualrly when you take Fadogia to spot potential anomalies early.
- Zinc
- 15 mgDaily
Zinc is essential for healthy testosterone levels. Huberman consumes 15mg of zinc every day with his multivitamin.
While Zinc doesn't increase testosterone levels, the deficiency of Zinc has been shown to decrease testosterone levels. This is because Zinc is crucial part in the creation of Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone. Therefore maintaining healthy Zinc levels is important for testosterone. If you already have enough Zinc in your diet, taking more won't increase your testosterone levels.
- Boron
- 2-4 mgDaily
Boron is a trace mineral that Huberman consumes daily. It is found in small quantities our natural diet.
Boron may help lower high SHBG, which can increase the amount of free testosterone in your body.
Testosterone is an extremely important hormone for both men and women. It contributes to all aspects of life, including muscle mass, bone density, and mental well-being.
Basics of Testosterone
Testosterone is produced in the testes for men and in the ovaries for women. It has a biological half-life of 30-45 minutes [1].
Testosterone belongs to a group hormones called androgens [2]. Androgens are responsible for the development of male characteristics, including facial hair growth and deepening of the voice.
Low Testosterone Levels
Low testosterone levels can cause various negative symptoms [3]. These symptoms include decreased libido, fatigue, reduced muscle mass, and mood changes.
The American Urology Association considers low blood testosterone to be less than 300 ng/dL for adult men. However, some researchers and healthcare providers disagree with the value, and say that 250 ng/dL are considered as low. [3]
In Europe, levels below 10 nmol/L are considered as low testosterone for men. For women the level of low testosterone is considered to be 0.4 nmol/l. [4]
Increasing Testosterone levels naturally
When increasing testosterone levels, it is important to start from the basics. To have high testosterone levels naturally, one should have a healthy bodyweight, exercise regularly, get enough high-quality sleep, maintain low stress levels, and consume a balanced and healthy diet.
If these basic things are in place, there are a few nutritional supplements that can help to increase testosterone levels. These supplements are highlighted by Dr. Huberman in the section above.
References
- Lin, B. J., Chen, K. K., Chen, M. T., & Chang, L. S. (1994). The time for serum testosterone to reach castrate level after bilateral orchiectomy or oral estrogen in the management of metastatic prostatic cancer. Urology, 43(6), 834–837
- McEwan IJ, Brinkmann AO. Androgen Physiology: Receptor and Metabolic Disorders
- Low Testosterone (Male Hypogonadism), Cleveland Clinic
- Testosteroni (S-Testo ja S-TestoVl)
- The causes of adverse changes of testosterone levels in men, Wrzosek et al., 2020, Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism Journal
- Effect of Zinc on Testosterone Levels and Sexual Function of Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Nia et al., 2021, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
- Eurycoma longifolia (Jack) Improves Serum Total Testosterone in Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials