Testosterone deficiency can reduce your quality of life due to:
- Decreased drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Trouble getting your partner pregnant
- Fatigue
- Depressed mood
- Decreased concentration
- Failing memory
- Sleep disorders
You might think, "I'm getting old," but it may just be that the things you're consuming are lowering your testosterone.
The 4 Worst Foods for Testosterone:
Yes, even the ones with fancy names and low-quality vitamins mixed in. While these may give you a jolt of energy, drinking these a few times a week can reduce your testosterone significantly.
A 2022 study showed that after 28 consecutive days of consumption, the cells in the testicles had trouble making testosterone and the sperm changed into a bad form. If you've gotten into the habit of having these regularly, it's a problem.
2. Alcohol
A drink every now and then isn't going to have much impact, but if you've gotten into the habit of having 2-3 beers a night throughout the week, watch out.
Alcohol affects the Leydig cells that make testosterone, the Sertoli cells that make sperm, and even the part of the brain (pituitary gland) that tells your testicles to make testosterone.
For some men, the testicles just kind of go to sleep - as if the cells themselves are drunk or hungover.
3. Vegetable Oils
Canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil, and palm oils are hidden everywhere - in your favorite snacks, fast food, cereals, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, and even seemingly healthy almond milk.
You think you're doing great by ordering a salad or chicken breast while out, but it's your salad dressing or barbecue sauce that's the problem.
4. Soy
Soy is everywhere in American ultra-processed foods as a preservative. 70% of all food in the grocery store is ultra-processed, and over 50% of the calories Americans eat daily come from these foods with high levels of soy.
A study suggests that 40% of all meat and seafood products in the US contain soy ingredients because the animals were fed soy.
You can't avoid it all, but check your labels - especially vitamins and protein powders.
The hardest patients for me to treat for low T and ED are my vegan patients, partly because they often eat soy products.
Men who consume a lot of soy eventually see lower testosterone levels and ED. Tofu, edamame, fake meat, miso - all these foods are rich sources of phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogen in the body and reduce testosterone.