5 Foods That Kill Testosterone – Introduction
Testosterone is a hormone that accounts for the most male sexual traits and libidinal activity. But it’s also vital for both men and women’s health. It is essential to have the right testosterone to help keep your muscles, bones and mood in check. But, some foods depress testosterone, and thus they create a lot of health issues. In this essay, we’ll consider five such foods, and what it’s likely to lead you to do with them.
1. Soy Products
Tofu, tempeh and soy milk are a part of almost every vegetarian and vegan diet. Soybeans do contain isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen-a plant hormone that could in some circumstances function as estrogen in the body. Estrogen is the female sex hormone of most importance; in excess, it suppresses testosterone levels, leading to decreased muscle mass, low libido and even gynaecomastia in men.
There is conflicting research into the testosterone impacts of soy; some reports report no impact and others report mild reductions in testosterone. One meta-analysis of 15 placebo-controlled trials concluded that soy protein supplementation doesn’t significantly impact testosterone levels in men. Another paper, this one from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported that, in healthy men, eating soy at elevated doses decreased testosterone and raised estrogen.
The vast majority of experiments on soy and testosterone have been conducted on animals or a handful of men. These larger, long-term studies would help us to fully understand soy’s impact on testosterone in general.
2. Flaxseed
Flaxseed is a wonderful superfood because it is high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and lignans. Lignans are phytoestrogens, or in other words an oestrogen mimic. While flaxseed has many health benefits, the oestrogen-like substance can affect testosterone production.
Test results for the role of flaxseed in boosting testosterone have not been consistent. A pilot study in young healthy men, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that testosterone levels plummeted after taking flaxseed. A study with prostate cancer-prone men, published in the journal Urology, on the other hand, reported no change in testosterone in response to flaxseed.
So, what accounts for these paradoxical results? Possible explanations: dosing and time taken of flaxseed supplementation, population count. We still need to see how flaxseed impacts the testosterone levels across populations.
3. Alcohol
In multiple research, low testosterone is related to drinking alcohol. Taking alcohol for short periods of time will slow testosterone levels, and the long term will cause hormonal problems.
In a 1998 paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers tested men’s testosterone levels following acute alcohol intake. These studies revealed that testosterone significantly declined post-drinking, more so in heavy drinkers.
Testosterone levels are also affected by excessive alcohol consumption. According to a 2011 paper in the Journal of Sex Medicine, high-drinking men had lower total testosterone than low-drinking men. A 2015 report in the journal Andrology found that testosterone was lower in alcoholic men, positively related to alcohol severity.
4. Processed Foods
Sugar-laden, fat-laden, artificially flavored processed foods have been responsible for countless diseases, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease. Further, new research suggests that such foods also negatively impact testosterone.
A 2017 paper in the journal ‘Nutrients’ revealed that a high-processed-food diet negatively impacted testosterone in men. Using data from more than 3,000 men, the researchers discovered that men who consumed more processed foods had lower testosterone levels, despite controlling for age, BMI and other variables (Nurmohamed, et al, 2017).
We do not yet fully know how processed foods reduce testosterone. But these foods have high levels of sugar, which researchers believe can cause insulin resistance and thus reduce testosterone (Wang, et al., 2011). This is not to mention the unhealthful fats found in processed foods.
5. Mint
In a 2016 study, published in the journal Urology, we found that some herbs appeared to have a positive effect on testosterone in rats. The peppermint oil supplementation reduced testosterone levels dramatically over the course of a week, as did the placebo. In a similar way, spearmint essential oil has been shown to exhibit anti-androgenic properties, suppressing testosterone and DHT levels in male rats.
Though most of these studies involved mint essential oils, they suggest that eating any kind of mint could inhibit testosterone production in humans. The major active component of mint-menthol-has been found to interfere with the activity of several steroidogenic enzymes required for the biosynthesis of androgens such as testosterone. Moreover, mint is rich in polyphenols; its anti-androgenic effect could also be due to these molecules.
It is to be emphasised, however, that there are only two studies so far that have found mint to alter human testosterone levels, and a far broader body of work is required to establish any such connection conclusively.
Considerations for Men’s Health
We should not ignore the potentially testosterone-lowering properties of mint, but that’s also where proper judgment comes in. The average guy doesn’t really have much to lose by sometimes putting a few mints in his tea, chewing gum or toothpaste. Pervasive mint use, particularly in concentrated essential oil over long periods of time, though-is perhaps a different story.
Men would therefore always be encouraged to ask for a health professional’s recommendations and guidance if they see testosterone levels starting to degrade. In essence, it’s all about them-their age, general health, lifestyle, and any underlying health issues-finding the best way to work with their hormone dysregulation. You might want to alter your lifestyle through diet and exercise, perhaps even with supplements and/or drugs, to regain those normal levels.
Conclusion: 5 Foods That Kill Testosterone
Overall, testosterone is an essential hormone that plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy and productive body. By eating foods that deplete the testosterones, a person could be at risk for reduced muscle mass, lack of sex drive and mood swings. So it is extremely important to ensure that you eat the right kind of diet to promote normal testosterone levels. We need less soy, flaxseed, alcohol, processed foods, and mint in our diet for testosterone levels to remain normal and good for health. We recommend consulting with a physician regarding the diet for a proper hormone balance and overall health.
