Testosterone in males supports lean body mass, mitochondrial function, all aspects of sexual function, calm and confident performance under pressure, and general well being.
Have had amazing results with pine pollen tincture along with nettle root powder which were recommended in Stephen Harrod Buhner's book Natural Remedies for Low Testosterone:
How to Enhance Male Sexual Health and Energy.
I have only used the tincture from Woodland Essence he recommended. The nettle root from Swanson in caps.
I use Buteyko breathing to raise carbonate blod levels. See Originally learned of this from Ray Peat but Patrick McKeown's many books have expanded my knowledge greatly. I get overheated in a hurry wearing a respirator when exercising or mowing the lawn (to avoid exhaust fumes.
When I was a marathoner, I was also vegan and experimenting with a raw food diet. My body fat dropped to 5%. Then the ION Profile showed me that many of my imbalances (esp amino acids) could be corrected by adding animal products to my diet. I also had very low testosterone levels at that time. Now that I’m around 15-20% body fat, my testosterone levels are well into the healthy range. So my experience is consistent with your article.
I noticed some misinformation in this article: Tadalafil actually does not "boost" nitric oxide. It inhibits the action of PDE5, an enzyme that breaks down cGMP. It is increased levels of cGMP that lead to relaxation of smooth muscle in blood vessels in the corpus cavernosum (and elsewhere). cGMP is released by nitric oxide, but the effects of tadalafil are situated one step downstream from nitric oxide.
The fact that both tadalafil and arginine are capable of boosting testosterone suggests looking downstream on the nitric oxide biochemical signaling pathway for a mechanism of action. It could be that PDE5 is expressed in all reproductive tissues, and increased bloodflow to the testicles (due higher levels of cGMP caused either by an increase in nitric oxide, or a decrease in PDE5) results in elevated T.
I am curious what you think about this?
PS. Anecdotally, I feel that tadalafil raises my T level (due to broad spectrum subjective effects that I would normally associate with higher T levels, not limited to higher erection quality)... but I have not verified this with bloodwork.
Yes, misinformation. "Misinformation" is simply incorrect information; the word does not imply intent to deceive. "Disinformation" is incorrect information with the intent to deceive.
I don't think you were trying to lie or fool anyone, just that you made an error.
You sound like a CIA operative or one of their press lackeys. I understand the words but in today's context they should just be banished. Just say "error."
I fixed it.
My point was not about tadalafil but about arginine being required to generate nitric oxide. I did not go into as much detail but there are nitric oxide-independent mechanisms of arginine activating mTOR so if the arginine has to be converted to nitric oxide for this effect in this population it makes all of the mechanisms of that conversion relevant.
So I reworded it to fix the error but keep the focus on nitric oxide.
Agree completely. Both words now make my skin crawl. And I assume the same thing about anyone using them that I assume with people coloring their hair purple-lol.
Haha. Same. They literally don’t want any discussion. Disinformation and misinformation are words used to shut us up. Sorry, that is not going to happen.
The other phrase that makes my skin crawl is “my truth” and “your truth “. Nope truth is not relative. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own truth.
Thank you for the super detailed post! This is very interesting and super useful. I just tested my testosterone levels and they were shockingly low (total testosterone: 241 ng/dL and free testosterone: 6.1 ng/dL). Here is a link for further info: https://liveto151.substack.com/p/my-testosterone-is-rock-bottom. I am a 46 year-old male btw.
I suspect one key reason is that I have been caloric deficient for a long time as a result of fasting (part of a longevity experiment). I suspect my body fat is also significantly less than 10%.
As a first step, I have for the last few weeks been at caloric balance, and I just took a new testosterone test. It will be interesting to see the result. Unless the result of this test is super positive, I will continue to experiment with the variables you mentioned in this post: initially with tests of all the key vitamins and minerals, and then make sure they are in balance.
So your post was super timely and I send you huge thanks! Also restacked it :)
Duuude. I literally spent 4 hours today working on my second-ever Substack post, which, in the interim I entitled "X ways to boost your testosterone naturally." (So far I have three, planning on about ten.) Then I check my email and I see a notification from Substack referencing "5 ways to boost your testosterone naturally." And I thought, wait a minute, I don't remember putting the number 5 in there, and, furthermore, why am I getting a notification about my own Substack post, which I haven't even published yet? And then I realized it was your post. Crazy. I'll have to change my title now. Fortunately, I see there are already a lot significant differences in content, and so when I eventually post it, hopefully I will not be accused of plagiarism. Mine will go beyond diet and exercise, and even regarding diet and exercise, I'll respectfully disagree on a couple points. For example the meta-analysis you cite regarding the effects of protein intake on testosterone (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10114259/) is terribly flawed. It concluded that only very high protein diets above 3.4 g/kg/day reliably decrease testosterone levels. However, if you look at the specific studies included in the meta analysis, most of them should be thrown out, as they were not even close to being designed to evaluate the relationship between protein intake and testosterone levels. In most of the studies, testosterone was just measured incidentally and there were huge overriding factors, especially in the studies favoring moderate-high protein intake (e.g. significant weight loss on the higher protein diet in one study, one study which was performed over just 3 days and there were only 4 men and two women (!), one study where they added 12 weeks of resistance training to the higher protein diet but no training was added for the low protein diet, another study where the higher protein diet was with whole food while the low protein diet was with maltodextrin, another study where the low protein diet was unspecified but the higher protein diet was in a metabolic ward, etc.) Furthermore, there are other studies not included in this meta-analysis that would suggest that even moderate-high protein consumption can cause suppression of testosterone.
Anyway, your post is awesome as usual, and it filled in several gaps I hadn't thought of. Thanks!
I could have emphasized that the data set is small and heterogeneous, that the meta-analysis dealing with this poor data set is itself rather poor, and that you cannot conclude anything about the effect of protein varying unless you randomized to high and moderate protein rather than comparing different studies. However, I did not comment much on the strengths and limitations because my conclusion was essentially that anything can happen and it is contextual, with the biggest contextual factor for why someone's testosterone would go down on high protein low carb being sulfur metabolism.
Of course if they go from sufficiently lean to excessively lean that would also drop testosterone, but if they go from overweight to better weight that should raise testosterone.
Given the heterogeneity you emphasize here, what is your alternative conclusion about the effect of high protein low carb on testosterone? Or do you have one?
I guess my alternative explanation, beyond the sulfur metabolism issue, would be a teleological argument. It seems to me there are three main purposes of testosterone in a male. 1) sex drive, 2) maintaining nitrogen balance, and 3) producing estrogen. Number one explains why calories and carbs and other signs of abundance, as well as generalized cavorting behavior would boost testosterone. Regarding number two, I think testosterone is maximized when the body has to strive a bit to maintain nitrogen balance. So, your level is going to be determined by the interplay of protein intake, amount of existing muscle mass, muscle turn over rate, and muscle building. Number three I see more as more of a negative feedback loop, caused by the estrogen/phytoestrogen/xenoestrogen contamination of our environment, especially our food supply. So, some of the problem with a high protein diet in the USA might be the much higher levels of estrogen we have in our beef and chicken, compared to other countries. Anyway that is the gist of what I put in my post. Check it out if you get a chance.
I don’t know. The implication is that you need approximately 30 hours per week of hypoxia that you then recover from. That either implies that chronic hypoxia from that altitude would lower T, or that you would be long-term adapted and need 30 hours of *greater* hypoxia than baseline to boost T over baseline.
Mountain sickness is due to dehydration or low salt.
I’ve logically dismissed the gaseous exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide as a fraud. We are not machines using gases of combustion and exhaust.
Our physiology is underpinned by hydration not oxygenation. Hydration equals salt plus water. Every part of our physiology requires moisture. Water follows salt into and out of the body. Dehydration is our Achilles heel. Any dryness results in dis-ease.
Oxygen is a product of air not a constituent of air. Air is made into oxygen by removing water to the parts per million. Oxygen has zero humidity.
Air is measured by its moisture at a given temperature, humidity.
Lungs require air inhaled to be in the 30-50% humidity range.
Can you see the mis-match?
Oxygen on release from containment will return to its natural state, air, by extracting moisture from its surroundings. When oxygen is released inside the respiratory tract it causes dehydration. Oxygen toxicity is due to its power to dehydrate.
The lungs require air reaching the alveoli to be at 100% humidity. This is dew point or drop point.
The lungs are rehydrating the RBCs as they pass through the alveoli capillaries with salt water.
Zero oxygen involved. There is no naturally occurring oxygen or nitrogen or the other 1% of gases present in air.
Oxygen and nitrogen have zero humidity. That’s 99% of air according to the schooled faux. This is obviously not the case.
Read the material safety data sheets for both oxygen and nitrogen gases, under inhalation is listed, unconscious and not breathing. Nitrogen is a product of oxygen. Nitr-o-gen or black oxygen. It is made to produce a non-combustible oxygen. Both products were invented for metal works.
You may like to read my 3 articles.
I present an alternative explanation of what air and water are. Curiosity will help you move through cognitive dissonance as I tip over a few sacred cows. Get ready to review all you think you know.
Science and medicine has been intentionally mis-directed to cause suffering and death. Eg The cv19 ventilator deaths were due to oxygen toxicity and dehydration. Oxygen has been the poisoner’s perfect poison.
It’s about time we changed this.
Click on my blue icon to read: We breathe air not oxygen.
This article caught my attention but I'm a little unclear with this statement "This article is for men, and for women who are looking for information that will help men." Does this mean this information is relevant to helping men with low testosterone but not women with low testosterone, correct?
As a 40 yr female experiencing extremely low Testosterone and other sex hormones from mold toxicity issue I've done much research on it. I've learned there is very little study/knowledge on effective strategies to help women with low T, like with many other health issues. Any insight you can share?
If someone was waking up in the middle of the night every time that had a moderate intensity strength training workout in the early morning, would it be advisable for them to have their Comprehensive Nutritional Screenings done on the morning after the strength training workout day in an attempt to identify the nutrient(s) that are potentially lacking?
My suspicion would be the cortisol is high at night and I think it would be best to run nutritional testing normally (waking fasting) but do a hormone panel sampled through the day.
Hi chris, u have article about SHBG where u are talking about how high carbohydrate diet with pufa dominant fats are best for lowering SHBG, do you think this information can also aply here ? because u talked abouts fats but not about specific type of fats but i know u are not fat of PUFA so im asking. Thanks
I'm 57, lean, generally healthy, and recently tested T levels because my sex drive has almost completely disappeared. I was expecting low levels, and was quite surprised with the results. Both free and bio-available levels were above normal. My doctor said "good for you!", but I feel a bit concerned. Are too high T levels unhealthy? Thanks!
In the first section where you mention blocking DHT likely not being wise when attempting to stop hair loss, are you referring to using finasteride? You say addressing energy scarcity is a better approach, does that boil down to improving mitochondrial function? I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that but I’m interested in pursuing it. Finasteride tanked my libido and made me depressed almost immediately and I’m trying to figure out a better approach to mitigating hair loss. Thanks!
Fair enough. Any articles of yours that get into that more, or do you just recommend going through nutritional status testing and optimize based on that?
Have had amazing results with pine pollen tincture along with nettle root powder which were recommended in Stephen Harrod Buhner's book Natural Remedies for Low Testosterone:
How to Enhance Male Sexual Health and Energy.
I have only used the tincture from Woodland Essence he recommended. The nettle root from Swanson in caps.
I use Buteyko breathing to raise carbonate blod levels. See Originally learned of this from Ray Peat but Patrick McKeown's many books have expanded my knowledge greatly. I get overheated in a hurry wearing a respirator when exercising or mowing the lawn (to avoid exhaust fumes.
Thanks for sharing Chris!
When I was a marathoner, I was also vegan and experimenting with a raw food diet. My body fat dropped to 5%. Then the ION Profile showed me that many of my imbalances (esp amino acids) could be corrected by adding animal products to my diet. I also had very low testosterone levels at that time. Now that I’m around 15-20% body fat, my testosterone levels are well into the healthy range. So my experience is consistent with your article.
I should add I’m 20lbs heavier (147lb) and regularly lift weights in addition to cardio.
For those considering supplementing with arginine, It does lower blood pressure.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/22536-l-arginine
There are more complex articles about arginine on line if you are a fan of obtuse scientific language.
Excellent post!
I noticed some misinformation in this article: Tadalafil actually does not "boost" nitric oxide. It inhibits the action of PDE5, an enzyme that breaks down cGMP. It is increased levels of cGMP that lead to relaxation of smooth muscle in blood vessels in the corpus cavernosum (and elsewhere). cGMP is released by nitric oxide, but the effects of tadalafil are situated one step downstream from nitric oxide.
The fact that both tadalafil and arginine are capable of boosting testosterone suggests looking downstream on the nitric oxide biochemical signaling pathway for a mechanism of action. It could be that PDE5 is expressed in all reproductive tissues, and increased bloodflow to the testicles (due higher levels of cGMP caused either by an increase in nitric oxide, or a decrease in PDE5) results in elevated T.
I am curious what you think about this?
PS. Anecdotally, I feel that tadalafil raises my T level (due to broad spectrum subjective effects that I would normally associate with higher T levels, not limited to higher erection quality)... but I have not verified this with bloodwork.
Yes you are right but “misinformation”? lmao
It was an error out of haste. Will fix.
Yes, misinformation. "Misinformation" is simply incorrect information; the word does not imply intent to deceive. "Disinformation" is incorrect information with the intent to deceive.
I don't think you were trying to lie or fool anyone, just that you made an error.
You sound like a CIA operative or one of their press lackeys. I understand the words but in today's context they should just be banished. Just say "error."
I fixed it.
My point was not about tadalafil but about arginine being required to generate nitric oxide. I did not go into as much detail but there are nitric oxide-independent mechanisms of arginine activating mTOR so if the arginine has to be converted to nitric oxide for this effect in this population it makes all of the mechanisms of that conversion relevant.
So I reworded it to fix the error but keep the focus on nitric oxide.
Thank you for pointing out the error!
So good to see people standing up to this nonsense! You are correct to use the word error.
Agree completely. Both words now make my skin crawl. And I assume the same thing about anyone using them that I assume with people coloring their hair purple-lol.
Haha. Same. They literally don’t want any discussion. Disinformation and misinformation are words used to shut us up. Sorry, that is not going to happen.
The other phrase that makes my skin crawl is “my truth” and “your truth “. Nope truth is not relative. You can have your own opinions. But you can’t have your own truth.
That is horrible. Thank you for explaining that.
Thank you for the super detailed post! This is very interesting and super useful. I just tested my testosterone levels and they were shockingly low (total testosterone: 241 ng/dL and free testosterone: 6.1 ng/dL). Here is a link for further info: https://liveto151.substack.com/p/my-testosterone-is-rock-bottom. I am a 46 year-old male btw.
I suspect one key reason is that I have been caloric deficient for a long time as a result of fasting (part of a longevity experiment). I suspect my body fat is also significantly less than 10%.
As a first step, I have for the last few weeks been at caloric balance, and I just took a new testosterone test. It will be interesting to see the result. Unless the result of this test is super positive, I will continue to experiment with the variables you mentioned in this post: initially with tests of all the key vitamins and minerals, and then make sure they are in balance.
So your post was super timely and I send you huge thanks! Also restacked it :)
Any new data yet?
Yes, you find a testosterone update here: https://liveto151.substack.com
Thanks!
Duuude. I literally spent 4 hours today working on my second-ever Substack post, which, in the interim I entitled "X ways to boost your testosterone naturally." (So far I have three, planning on about ten.) Then I check my email and I see a notification from Substack referencing "5 ways to boost your testosterone naturally." And I thought, wait a minute, I don't remember putting the number 5 in there, and, furthermore, why am I getting a notification about my own Substack post, which I haven't even published yet? And then I realized it was your post. Crazy. I'll have to change my title now. Fortunately, I see there are already a lot significant differences in content, and so when I eventually post it, hopefully I will not be accused of plagiarism. Mine will go beyond diet and exercise, and even regarding diet and exercise, I'll respectfully disagree on a couple points. For example the meta-analysis you cite regarding the effects of protein intake on testosterone (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10114259/) is terribly flawed. It concluded that only very high protein diets above 3.4 g/kg/day reliably decrease testosterone levels. However, if you look at the specific studies included in the meta analysis, most of them should be thrown out, as they were not even close to being designed to evaluate the relationship between protein intake and testosterone levels. In most of the studies, testosterone was just measured incidentally and there were huge overriding factors, especially in the studies favoring moderate-high protein intake (e.g. significant weight loss on the higher protein diet in one study, one study which was performed over just 3 days and there were only 4 men and two women (!), one study where they added 12 weeks of resistance training to the higher protein diet but no training was added for the low protein diet, another study where the higher protein diet was with whole food while the low protein diet was with maltodextrin, another study where the low protein diet was unspecified but the higher protein diet was in a metabolic ward, etc.) Furthermore, there are other studies not included in this meta-analysis that would suggest that even moderate-high protein consumption can cause suppression of testosterone.
Anyway, your post is awesome as usual, and it filled in several gaps I hadn't thought of. Thanks!
Thanks David.
I could have emphasized that the data set is small and heterogeneous, that the meta-analysis dealing with this poor data set is itself rather poor, and that you cannot conclude anything about the effect of protein varying unless you randomized to high and moderate protein rather than comparing different studies. However, I did not comment much on the strengths and limitations because my conclusion was essentially that anything can happen and it is contextual, with the biggest contextual factor for why someone's testosterone would go down on high protein low carb being sulfur metabolism.
Of course if they go from sufficiently lean to excessively lean that would also drop testosterone, but if they go from overweight to better weight that should raise testosterone.
Given the heterogeneity you emphasize here, what is your alternative conclusion about the effect of high protein low carb on testosterone? Or do you have one?
I guess my alternative explanation, beyond the sulfur metabolism issue, would be a teleological argument. It seems to me there are three main purposes of testosterone in a male. 1) sex drive, 2) maintaining nitrogen balance, and 3) producing estrogen. Number one explains why calories and carbs and other signs of abundance, as well as generalized cavorting behavior would boost testosterone. Regarding number two, I think testosterone is maximized when the body has to strive a bit to maintain nitrogen balance. So, your level is going to be determined by the interplay of protein intake, amount of existing muscle mass, muscle turn over rate, and muscle building. Number three I see more as more of a negative feedback loop, caused by the estrogen/phytoestrogen/xenoestrogen contamination of our environment, especially our food supply. So, some of the problem with a high protein diet in the USA might be the much higher levels of estrogen we have in our beef and chicken, compared to other countries. Anyway that is the gist of what I put in my post. Check it out if you get a chance.
30% up testosterone with home made cordyceps fresh and raw,
Great stuff! Refreshing, since almost anything online about 'boosting testosterone ' is trying to sell some fringe supplement or protocol.
I'm curious about the hypoxia data. I live at altitude (1750m), I wonder if the hypoxia protocol would still have the same effect?
I don’t know. The implication is that you need approximately 30 hours per week of hypoxia that you then recover from. That either implies that chronic hypoxia from that altitude would lower T, or that you would be long-term adapted and need 30 hours of *greater* hypoxia than baseline to boost T over baseline.
Hypoxia is another name for dehydration.
Mountain sickness is due to dehydration or low salt.
I’ve logically dismissed the gaseous exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide as a fraud. We are not machines using gases of combustion and exhaust.
Our physiology is underpinned by hydration not oxygenation. Hydration equals salt plus water. Every part of our physiology requires moisture. Water follows salt into and out of the body. Dehydration is our Achilles heel. Any dryness results in dis-ease.
Oxygen is a product of air not a constituent of air. Air is made into oxygen by removing water to the parts per million. Oxygen has zero humidity.
Air is measured by its moisture at a given temperature, humidity.
Lungs require air inhaled to be in the 30-50% humidity range.
Can you see the mis-match?
Oxygen on release from containment will return to its natural state, air, by extracting moisture from its surroundings. When oxygen is released inside the respiratory tract it causes dehydration. Oxygen toxicity is due to its power to dehydrate.
The lungs require air reaching the alveoli to be at 100% humidity. This is dew point or drop point.
The lungs are rehydrating the RBCs as they pass through the alveoli capillaries with salt water.
Zero oxygen involved. There is no naturally occurring oxygen or nitrogen or the other 1% of gases present in air.
Oxygen and nitrogen have zero humidity. That’s 99% of air according to the schooled faux. This is obviously not the case.
Read the material safety data sheets for both oxygen and nitrogen gases, under inhalation is listed, unconscious and not breathing. Nitrogen is a product of oxygen. Nitr-o-gen or black oxygen. It is made to produce a non-combustible oxygen. Both products were invented for metal works.
You may like to read my 3 articles.
I present an alternative explanation of what air and water are. Curiosity will help you move through cognitive dissonance as I tip over a few sacred cows. Get ready to review all you think you know.
Science and medicine has been intentionally mis-directed to cause suffering and death. Eg The cv19 ventilator deaths were due to oxygen toxicity and dehydration. Oxygen has been the poisoner’s perfect poison.
It’s about time we changed this.
Click on my blue icon to read: We breathe air not oxygen.
This article caught my attention but I'm a little unclear with this statement "This article is for men, and for women who are looking for information that will help men." Does this mean this information is relevant to helping men with low testosterone but not women with low testosterone, correct?
As a 40 yr female experiencing extremely low Testosterone and other sex hormones from mold toxicity issue I've done much research on it. I've learned there is very little study/knowledge on effective strategies to help women with low T, like with many other health issues. Any insight you can share?
Yes that is correct.
Much of it is partly generalizable but that wasn't the purpose.
Doesn’t potassium work with chloride, magnesium and zinc to convert NAD+ into NADH though HSD3B1?
Not sure what you’re getting at here. The purpose of the reaction is to oxidize the substrate.
“With insufficient NAD+ / elevated NADH and / or insufficiency of Mg2+ / Zn2+ / K+ / Cl-,
HSD3B1,2 reactions have decreased activity”
This is what I read.
What I’m getting is potassium seems like it could be as or more important than sodium.
If someone was waking up in the middle of the night every time that had a moderate intensity strength training workout in the early morning, would it be advisable for them to have their Comprehensive Nutritional Screenings done on the morning after the strength training workout day in an attempt to identify the nutrient(s) that are potentially lacking?
My suspicion would be the cortisol is high at night and I think it would be best to run nutritional testing normally (waking fasting) but do a hormone panel sampled through the day.
Hi chris, u have article about SHBG where u are talking about how high carbohydrate diet with pufa dominant fats are best for lowering SHBG, do you think this information can also aply here ? because u talked abouts fats but not about specific type of fats but i know u are not fat of PUFA so im asking. Thanks
If anything I think that old article may need revision. But, no, if I thought it belonged here I would have put it here.
Any advice on how to lower T levels?
I'm 57, lean, generally healthy, and recently tested T levels because my sex drive has almost completely disappeared. I was expecting low levels, and was quite surprised with the results. Both free and bio-available levels were above normal. My doctor said "good for you!", but I feel a bit concerned. Are too high T levels unhealthy? Thanks!
In the first section where you mention blocking DHT likely not being wise when attempting to stop hair loss, are you referring to using finasteride? You say addressing energy scarcity is a better approach, does that boil down to improving mitochondrial function? I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that but I’m interested in pursuing it. Finasteride tanked my libido and made me depressed almost immediately and I’m trying to figure out a better approach to mitigating hair loss. Thanks!
Yes that is what I meant. That’s a much more complicated topic though.
Fair enough. Any articles of yours that get into that more, or do you just recommend going through nutritional status testing and optimize based on that?
I would start with optimizing nutrient status.
I assume my total and free cholesterol rise from 7,5 and 0,19 nmmol/l to 11,4 and 0,28 respectively on geranylgeraniol.
Testosterone of course not cholesterol :-)