Some men are lucky enough to keep their testosterone levels high throughout life, but in most, they begin to decline at about age 40. The good news is that improving low testosterone levels in men after 40 is possible naturally. Besides many other health benefits, increasing and maintaining your testosterone to optimal levels may increase muscle mass and strength. Let's see what science has to say about this.
Here's a list of evidence-based ways to increase your testosterone levels naturally:
Exercising and lifting weights will increase testosterone levels in men
One
study involving men with obesity found in 2015 that increased physical activity was more beneficial than calorie restriction for increasing testosterone levels.
Another study, published in 2017, demonstrated that testosterone has also been shown to acutely rise immediately following an acute resistance exercise. Reading
another study that's been published in 2020, I learned that all forms of exercise may help increase testosterone levels in men, especially weightlifting and high-intensity interval training.
Eating whole foods with enough protein, carbs, and healthy fats
Results of a study published in 2018 suggest that individuals who prefer Western-style food (bread and pastries, dairy products, and desserts), eat out, and eat fewer homemade foods, noodles, and dark green vegetables are more likely to have an unhealthy body composition (e.g., increased visceral fat and decreased skeletal muscle mass) and low serum total testosterone levels, and are likely to develop hypogonadism (a condition that affects the ability of men's bodies to produce enough testosterone).
A review published in 2021 shows the macronutrient effects on changes in testosterone concentrations, indicating a significant decrease in testosterone concentrations when dietary macronutrient intake was reduced. It also reported that a 40% reduction in total caloric intake was associated with significant decreases in circulating testosterone concentrations, despite a high percentage of the caloric intake being from protein sources. Therefore keeping a good balance between protein, carbs, and fats from whole foods is important when optimizing testosterone levels. Not getting enough fat impacts testosterone levels in both, men and women. Also, cholesterol is considered by the authors of the review a dietary fat component, to be one of the building blocks for testosterone production. The same review analyzed micronutrient effects on testosterone concentrations with the following conclusions:
1. Vitamin D
Men with vitamin D deficiency have exhibited significantly lower testosterone concentrations compared to men with normal vitamin D concentrations. Vitamin D supplementation is a potential option to maintain normal vitamin D status, but also to potentially increase testosterone concentrations. For this reason, I've been taking fish oil from the beginning of my after-40 fitness journey.
2. Zinc
The physiological role of zinc in testosterone biology is related to its requirement in the synthesis and secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH stimulates testosterone synthesis in the Leydig cells. Zinc is also important in the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone.
3. Magnesium
The recommended dietary allowance for magnesium intake for men is between 400 to 420 mg·day−1 and 310 to 320 mg·day−1 for women, and it is the most abundant mineral in the body. Several studies have reported that athletes do not consume enough magnesium from their diet, resulting in a greater risk of magnesium deficiency. One study indicated that magnesium supplementation in young healthy men in combination with a four-week endurance training program increased both, free testosterone and total testosterone, concentrations at rest and following exhaustive exercise. An additional study conducted on nearly 400 older adult men reported a significant correlation between magnesium status and testosterone concentrations.
Focusing on recovery
High quality on a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep per night is crucial for overall health and testosterone levels. One
study in 2018 demonstrated that impaired sleep is associated with low testosterone in US adult males.
Avoiding estrogen-like chemicals
Often we see videos or images posted on social media with guys preparing, depositing, and microwaving their healthy meals in plastic containers. Well, that's a bad idea because according to
various studies exposing yourself to bisphenol-A (BPA), parabens, and other chemicals found in some types of plastic will decrease your testosterone levels.
Drinking too much alcohol may drop testosterone as quickly as 30 minutes after
A
study published in 2019, concluded: A low-moderate alcohol intake would seem not to impair reproductive function. Conversely, in heavy drinkers and alcoholic men, both testosterone production and spermatogenesis are altered with multiple mechanisms.
Taking supplements
While many supplements might not do anything, others have proven to help men and women to level testosterone levels. A
study published in 2021 showed that zinc supplementation can improve testosterone levels and sexual function in postmenopausal women. According to another
review, published in 2018, zinc supplementation could also benefit men with low testosterone levels and infertility, particularly if they have a testosterone deficiency. Another
study, published in 2019, concluded that the intake of a standardized ashwagandha extract (Shoden beads) for 8 weeks was associated with increased levels of DHEA-S and testosterone.
After going over all these scientific reports, and trying to find out what the best practices to increase or maintain a normal testosterone level after 40, I got my conclusions:
#1 Don't neglect food if you want a good testosterone level.
All macro and micronutrients are important. That's why it is so important to have a well-balanced diet, based on whole foods, with the right ratio between protein, carbs, and healthy fats, trying to get most of the nutrients from complex carbs, lean meat, seeds, nuts, eggs, some yogurt for probiotics and calcium. And covering the rest with supplements like fish oil, zinc, and magnesium only when needed, seems like a good plan for optimal testosterone levels.
#2 Don't skip sleep, focus on recovery!
If I want to gain muscle after 40, I must get enough sleep and let my body recover from training hard, producing enough testosterone naturally to grow.
#3 Lift weights wisely, but vigorously!
My current
workout plan fits right into this.
#4 Skip alcohol as much as possible and keep proper weight with a healthy body fat percentage by avoiding junk food, trans fats, sodas, or any other processed foods and drinks that can get you fat and expose you to all sorts of chemicals.
