Lowering Testosterone
Print PageTo produce enough testosterone, your body requires the:
- Minerals boron and zinc
- Vitamins A, B6, and C
- Branched Chain Amino-acids (BCAA) valine, isoleucine, and leucine
You can marginally increase your testosterone level with exercise. However, you may inadvertently lower your testosterone level by consuming foods containing too much protein and too few carbohydrates. If you go on a fad diet with too much carbohydrate and too little fat, it can deplete testosterone.
Other factors that may lower testosterone levels include:
- Acute critical illness, burns, major trauma or surgery
- Drug use (e.g., opiates, glucocorticoids, anabolic steroids, some anticonvulsants)
- Chronic disease and its treatment
- Alcohol abuse
- Smoking
- Ageing
Most of the above cause an increase in Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). SHBG is a transporter protein found in the blood. It acts as a carrier to move hormones around the body. Up to 99% of testosterone produced is bound to SHBG. Once bound to SHBG, the testosterone is inactive. Testosterone to which SHBG does not attach is the biologically available testosterone that is free to act on cells throughout the body.