Tag: Testosterone

Sugar and Testosterone

SugarI’m sure you know too much sugar is bad for you.  But it seems every day I learn something new about the negative effects of eating (or drinking) too much of it.  We know, for example, that sugar and refined carbohydrates causes inflammation, and I’m convinced this (inflammation) is the main culprit in cardiovascular disease (even more so than cholesterol).

Here’s something you may not know–sugar can temporarily suppress testosterone.  I can point to at least one study that confirmed this:

Researchers were interested in knowing whether or not men tested for hypogonadism (low testosterone) should be tested in a fasted state.  74 men were given 75 grams of glucose (the standard dose for a glucose tolerance test).  Their hormone levels were monitored at 30 minute increments after taking the sugar.  They found that testosterone levels were suppressed by as much as 25% and remained so at the two-hour mark (120 minutes).  All subjects experienced this suppression, regardless of whether or not they had other health issues related to glucose tolerance (diabetes, etc.). Some subjects had normal testosterone levels, yet the suppression caused enough drop to (temporarily) put them in the same range as men who suffer from hypogonasism.1

We do have to keep a few things in mind here: the drop in testosterone was transient, this is only one study, and insulin is an anabolic hormone in its own right.

But I didn’t realize just how drastically one insulin spike can affect other hormone levels.  Drinking sweet drinks all day could negatively affect your testosterone levels (in addition to the other health issues).  A 20-ounce soda on an empty stomach would pretty much duplicate the conditions of this study (a bottle would have 65 grams of sugar).

This is another reason I like the Renegade Diet style of eating.  It seems limiting your intake of carbohydrates/sugar throughout the day is a reasonable strategy for optimizing your testosterone levels.

Reference:

1.Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2013 Feb;78(2):291-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2012.04486.x.
Abrupt decrease in serum testosterone levels after an oral glucose load in men: implications for screening for hypogonadism.

The Man Diet Review Chad Howse

The Man Diet
The Man Diet

I’ve had a chance to review The Man Diet by Chad Howse. I’m always interested in
learning new ways to boost testosterone naturally, so I enjoyed reading through his suggestions.  Let me start with a summary of what you get if you decide to order these books.

The Man Diet (main manual/e-book):  This is Chad Howse’s introduction and explanation of the diet.  He explains why it is so important to maximize your testosterone and shares how you should eat if that is your goal.  He also includes other lifestyle methods you can do to help boost your levels of the manly hormone.

The Man Diet Meal Log:  This is a simple way to keep records of the types of foods you are eating to ensure you are on track.

The Man Diet Cheater’s Guide: Howse explains how you can use strategic “cheating” (eating the foods you love) while staying on track with your overall fat loss goals.

QuickStart Guide: This is the summarized version of the program–you can use this to get started immediately while you study the details later.

Supplement Guide: As the title implies, this is the author’s suggestions for supplements to maximize your testosterone.

You also get unlimited updates if you choose to order this program.

Optional Products:  You’ll have the option of buying additional products if you decide to order this program.  You do not have to order them but you can if you choose to.

#1 Man Workout: This is a well-designed training program to help you build strength/muscle and lose fat (which will help with testosterone levels).  You may not need this one if you are an experienced trainee who knows how to work out.  But it would help guys who are out of shape and need a program to get started training again.

#2 Epic Sex Drive: These e-books have tips specifically designed for increasing libido.  I especially appreciate the fact that the author recommends against viewing sexually explicit material.  I believe porn does a lot of harm and can cause erectile dysfunction (visit yourbrainonporn.com for more details).

#3 Cookbook:  This e-book has recipes that are consistent with the dietary recommendations the author makes in the program.

Review:

I was familiar with many of the recommendations made in this book.   There are a lot of similarities between The Man Diet and The Renegade Diet, which is a good thing (it means both authors know their stuff).   But I did pick up a few new strategies that I haven’t heard before, especially in regards to the timing of specific supplements/nutrients.

There are a couple of disagreements I have with the author in regards to his supplement advice.  He recommends specific brands of supplements.  I’m sure the brands he promotes are fine, but I’d recommend you shop around for better deals.  Vitamin D3, for example, is available at any drug store.  He also recommends tribulus in one of the books, which I don’t completely understand–a recent study has confirmed that it does not boost testosterone.1  I wish he had recommended maca powder instead (it won’t boost testosterone, but there’s some evidence maca is good for libido).  He could have also included the Citrulline-Arginine combination for sexual potency.

Conclusion:  Overall The Man Diet has a lot of good tips for boosting your T levels.  I think the author has listed about everything you can do short of testosterone replacement therapy.  I think this would be especially helpful for older guys who are looking to implement every possible strategy towards this goal.  It’s also a good value (the going prices is about 20 bucks at the time of this post).  Just CLICK HERE if you’d like to order this program or learn more about it.

Note:  This review/product is not intended to replace medical advice.  Low testosterone cannot always be resolved through diet/exercise and can be medically dangerous (it can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, etc).  Be sure to talk with your doctor about this.

Reference:

1. Actas Urol Esp. 2014 May;38(4):244-248. doi: 10.1016/j.acuro.2013.09.014. Epub 2014 Mar 14. Tribulus terrestris versus placebo in the treatment of erectile dysfunction: A prospective, randomized, double blind study.