Nutrition plays a huge role in your body's natural hormone production, and that's particularly true as age becomes a factor. Testosterone levels tend to take a slow dive as soon as the early-30s for men, and the gradual drop continues after that. Sex drive and physical performance can start to decrease, and muscle tone can begin to diminish. Luckily, you can avoid low T the natural way, with careful nutrition planning to fortify natural testosterone production.
Whole foods will always be king, but let's face it, supplements offer a great way to stay on top of your nutritional needs. When you're too busy or just not creative enough to keep a well-balanced meal plan, they can help ensure that you can reach all your daily dietary intake goals.
Below are a few simple supplements you can add to your daily meal planning to help slow down or avoid low testosterone.
YohimbeDerived from African evergreens, Yohimbe bark in its raw form has been acclaimed for ages because of its potential aphrodisiac effects and increased blood flow. The purified form, yohimbine hydrochloride, has since become the go-to source for an herbal solution to erectile dysfunction (ED) and male stamina boosting.
Yohimbine is touted to increase circulating testosterone levels and dilate blood vessels, hence its use for cases of ED. It's also known to block Alpha 2 receptors, triggering the release of fatty acids into the bloodstream to be burned off as energy. This means yohimbine has the potential to be an effective fat burner as well, and healthy body fat levels also promote balanced hormone levels. Many men report an increased feeling of well-being while using supplemental yohimbine, and that often includes boosted sex drive.
DHEA DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) plays a significant role in testosterone production, so when it goes down, so do hormone levels, and as age creeps up, DHEA production goes down. It's just an unfortunate fact of life, but that doesn't mean you're powerless.
Production of natural DHEA usually peaks when you're in your mid-20s and slowly decreases after that, so DHEA supplementation seems to be most beneficial for those in their mid-30s and older. Testosterone production can have an uptick with DHEA use, so long-term bone health and lean tissue repair will obviously benefit, but it's the libido-increasing factor that most men are after. That's not to say there aren't other benefits, though. DHEA increases the production of other hormones as well, so there's often an increased feeling of youth, vibrancy, and even improved memory. Plus, the combination of improved muscle tone and decreased body fat historically improve feelings of confidence and vitality.
Avoid Low T Before it Becomes an IssueIt used to be rare that anyone under the age of 30 would suffer from low testosterone, but the massive amounts of stress we experience now along with environmental toxins have been pushing that age barrier down. If you have diminished sex drive, hair loss, low energy, mood swings or a change in body composition (more fat, less muscle than usual), those could be signs.
If you're older and not worried about muscle size, why should you worry about testosterone levels? Well, as mentioned, testosterone production is important for just about every aspect of well-being, including the prevention of depression and irritability, having a healthy sex drive, and helping with bone density.
And don't forget to stay active! Exercise affects natural hormone production positively, and so does the euphoria you feel when you're active and productive. Keep your move on to keep your groove on!
The less testosterone you produce as you get older, the older you actually feel, so keeping your hormones at healthy levels throughout your life can act as your very own fountain of youth."