Junk food has the captivating power to draw you out of your cocoon with its ease of availability and delicious tickles to your tongue.
But we all know that junk food will not fill up your body with a nutrient profile, and studies show that it could invite all health risks.
Recently, junk food added one more notorious health effect to its pile of health hazards, which is its effect on hormones.
So does junk foods lowers testosterone as well?
Testosterone is the most important hormone for men, with its effect spreading far across every part of your body.
Since testosterone is produced by an intricate complex network involving many bodily actions, junk foods can be a threat to its secretion.
But before jumping to a conclusion let’s see if junk food has any role in the declining testosterone levels.
Does Junk Food Affect Testosterone?
Junk foods are the ones that come loaded with a high amount of calories, too much oil, and superior levels of unhealthy fats.
They are linked with numerous amounts of health risks owing to the zero nutrient profile and the unwanted levels of sugar that it dissolves in your body.
Talking about its effects on hormones, or to be specific testosterone, several studies have shed light on the increase in the decline of T-levels with junk food.
A healthy testosterone level ranges between 300-1000ng/dL, which shows a minimal decline of 1% as you reach your 30s, yearly.
However, according to studies, this decline is greater when you consume a lot of unhealthy diet.
For example, a study conducted on 147 participants based on an interview on their lifestyle and diet patterns at the University of Texas showed that the T-levels declined more than 1% among participants with poor diets.
But what could be the reasons behind such a negative link between Junk food and testosterone?
Well, the effect isn’t direct, but a sum of all the effects of junk foods on your body. Let’s read about Does Junk Food Affect Testosterone in depth.
Effect of Fast Food on Testosterone
Junk food can deteriorate your testosterone levels in the following ways:
#1. Unhealthy fats decrease testosterone production
Junk foods are rich in trans fats and polyunsaturated fats that decrease testosterone production by increasing inflammatory mediators.
These mediators disrupt many normal functions of the human body, causing an imbalance in the hormonal levels as they affect the adrenal glands directly.
A study conducted on 209 men showed that men who ate higher levels of trans fats showed a 15% decline in testosterone and 37% lower sperm count as compared to others.
#2. Increase testosterone-hating chemicals
Junk food increases the levels of harmful chemicals like phthalates namely DHEP and DiNP commonly used to increase the flexibility of plastics.
Although they are used in the packaging of junk foods, their exposure to food is significantly high.
A study conducted with 8500 children and adults showed that people who had a diet of more than 30% junk showed 23% DiNP and a 39% rise in DHEP.
They have both anti-androgenic effects and can also interfere with the adrenal’s function of secreting testosterone.
For example, a study from the US National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey showed that phthalate exposure can decrease testosterone by 29%.
#3. Obesity decreases testosterone levels
Junk foods have high amounts of calories and the ability to resist the hormones that signal your brain when you are full.
Disruption of the signal makes you over binge leading to the accumulation of visceral fats around different organs.
The visceral fats around different organs affect testosterone by:
- Inhibition of the production of testosterone from the adrenal gland
- Conversion of testosterone to estradiol
On the other hand, insulin resistance shoots up too opening gates to several other health risks.
Hence it is best to limit your junk foods that lowers testosterone if you want your testosterone levels to be normal. On the off chance, that you are already seeing a dip in your T-levels, here are some ways to help you reverse the cycle.
What to Do to Increase Testosterone?
Many ways can not only bring back your T-levels but also give your daily performance an extra edge:
#1. Try Herbs to Boost Low T
Since junk foods lowers testosterone there are many herbs that have given positive results in increasing testosterone levels, some of them are:
- Ashwagandha – balances your hormonal levels by reducing the stress hormones.
- Tribulus Terrestris – has shown a boost in testosterone in several studies.
- Fenugreek – the herb fenugreek improves your sexual functions by elevating testosterone levels.
- Ginger – is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory herb to boost testosterone naturally.
- Maca root – is a potent fertility booster
- Nettle root – prevents the already existing t-levels from damage, and also surges the natural production.
#2. Try Testosterone Boosting Foods
If you don’t like herbal remedies and instead wanna munch on some easy-to-find foods, here is the solution:
- Egg yolks – for healthy cholesterol levels that aid in testosterone release.
- Oysters – have high zinc content which is clinically known to boost testosterone.
- Garlic – has aliicin that boosts testosterone.
- Pomegranates – loaded with anti-oxidants to curb free radicals from hurting your testosterone levels.
- Vitamin D-rich foods – like dairy or fortified foods to shoot up your testosterone levels.
In addition to these foods, you should also include some trace mineral that increase testosterone in your diet as they could be natural testosterone stimulators.
#3. Try Trace Minerals to Raise T Levels
The following trace minerals have potent mechanisms of lifting testosterone naturally:
- Zinc – promotes many bodily functions, like stimulating the release of LH or the precursor for testosterone. You can find zinc in seafood like oysters, beans, nuts, and even dairy products.
- Magnesium – found in green leafy and fishes can raise your testosterone levels as they reduce the SHBG to elevate the free testosterone in your body.
- Boron – to stimulate the overall metabolic activities that produce hormones. You can get a good amount of boron in legumes, and nuts.
- Selenium- has an indirect role in producing testosterone levels as they have anti-oxidants that fight free radicals. They are easily available in meats and whole grains.
You can even find supplements loaded with testosterone-boosting ingredients across the market which are the easiest way to boost T-levels naturally.
Along with diet, you should also focus on a healthy lifestyle and workouts to keep your testosterone levels up. If you are looking for one of the potent t-boosting supplements go for Testol 140 by Crazy Bulk. Also, Considering Testol 140 reviews, it is one of the best ways to increase testosterone production in the body.