Testosterone Replacement

By now almost everyone has seen the commercials for Androgel and other pharmaceutical hormone replacements claiming to compensate for the age related drop in the testosterone known as low-T. The prescriptions, which over the past 10 years have been filled nearly 5 million times and have generated over 1.6 billion dollars in sales, are promoted as nearly magical medical hormone replacements that can improve mood, muscle development, bone strength, fat burning, endurance, libido and sexual performance.

However, despite these supposed benefits, testosterone replacement may cause problems. Recently, a trial of testosterone treatment in elderly men had to be discontinued because of increased cardiovascular events. In a commentary published in the journal “Science Translation Therapy”, Dr. Amir Tirosh of the Harvard Medical School writes that researchers concluded that hormone therapy demonstrated “substantial evidence of cardiovascular adverse effects associated with testosterone replacement”.

And that’s not all. Testosterone can stimulate cell division and cell growth worsening prostate health issues like BPH and prostate cancer. While the link is far from conclusive, men considering medicating themselves with testosterone HRT may want to consider the potential for prescription-induced prostate disease. If you suffer from sleep apnea testosterone replacement therapy may make things worse. And according to an article published in the journal “Clinical Risk Management” in June 2009, liver toxicity and blood diseases are also possibilities.

If you don’t want drugs but you’re dealing with the unpleasant symptoms of low testosterone and perhaps you want to build muscle or improve your sex life, one non-medical strategy is to pay attention to what you’re eating. Refined carbs, fruit juices, sweets and other foods that affect insulin can be especially problematic. There is an important relationship between the sugar metabolizing hormone insulin and testosterone. When the body stops listening to insulin, that is, it becomes “insulin-resistant”, testosterone-resistance tends to follow. In other words, the higher your insulin levels the less manly you’ll be. When your insulin is chronically elevated, you’ll find your sex drive diminishing, it’ll be harder for you to build muscle and you’ll be packing on the pounds, especially on the belly. And, fat can be a source of estrogen production. That means you’re likely to have higher levels feminizing hormone that will be pumped into your blood, not a good thing if you’re already dealing with diminishing masculinity. If that’s not a great reason to lay off the pasta, I don’t know what is!

Using anabolic (muscle and tissue building) nutrients can boost testosterone too. Whey and egg are invaluable, same with meat and fish. When eaten in sufficient quantity, these protein rich body building foods may diminish carb and sugar cravings too. Zinc is especially important and pumpkin seeds, shellfish and seafood are loaded with this key mineral. If you’re going to supplement with zinc, use the picolinate form (50mg a day) for best results. And Vitamin A is important too. It works synergistic-ally with zinc, use 20,000 i.u. a day. Food sources of Vitamin A include organ meats, eggs and dairy products. Vegetarians note: Vitamin A is only found in animal products. Contrary to popular belief, beta carotene, which may have nutritional relevance, especially for the skin and for eye health, is NOT Vitamin A.

Some additional miscellaneous nutrients that can support testosterone and may improve symptoms of Low T include selenium (600mcg a day), MSM (100mg a day) and the entire B-complex (use a B-100 capsule several times a day). Sipping on a high-quality, liquid multi-nutrient supplement like Youngevity’s Beyond Tangy Tangerine all day long can be helpful too.

And lastly, if you want to amp up male hormones, get your butt in the gym and start doing some weight bearing exercises. According to a study from the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University and published in the journal “Mechanisms of Aging and Development” in August of 1989: “…strength training can induce growth hormone and testosterone release. Mike Westerdal of criticalbench.com says that for the best testosterone boosting results focus on lifting heavy weights and concentrate on working large muscle groups like the hamstrings, back and chest.