Does Eating Meat Increase Testosterone?
Does eating meat increase testosterone levels, or is the opposite true?
Many things can either boost or lower testosterone in men and women, and we’re going to find out what they are. Here are a few other questions we’re going to tackle about testosterone, which seem to be some common concerns about it:
- What is testosterone and what is its function in the body?
- Do I have a testosterone deficiency?
- Does milk increase or decrease testosterone levels?
- Does drinking coffee reduce testosterone or increase it?
- Does fast food decrease your testosterone?
- Does fasting improve testosterone levels in men?
- Do antidepressants lower testosterone?
- What are some foods that increase testosterone?
- Can women have a testosterone deficiency?
Why Does Fake Meat Attract Vegetarians If Real Meat Is Bad?
What Is Testosterone and What Is Its Function?
Testosterone is an anabolic hormone in both males and females, but which is essential for males to maintain normal reproductive and sexual functions. Testosterone is also crucial for mental and emotional health in both genders, and is responsible for adequate bone and muscle mass, as well as the growing of body hair and normal sperm development.
Diet, getting enough sleep and exercise are paramount for optimal testosterone levels.
Do I Have a Testosterone Deficiency?
Along with metabolite DHT, testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, and gives a man his “manly” characteristics. A deficiency of testosterone can begin to occur well before middle age in men, and can cause the following:
- Low energy and overall cognitive function
- Low sex drive (or even erectile dysfunction),
- Loss of body and facial hair
- Obesity (particularly in the abdominal region)
- Loss of muscle mass
- Depression
- Irritability
- Diabetes
- Impaired cardiovascular health
- Anemia
Low Testosterone can be caused by:
- Damage to both testicles
- Chemotherapy or other radiation
- Removal of testicles due to testicular cancer
- Disease of the pituitary gland
- Autoimmune disease
- Infection
- Vitamin D and / or B12 and / or zinc deficiency
- Delayed puberty
- excess estrogen levels
- Liver cirrhosis
- A history of heavy alcohol use
Does Eating Meat Increase Testosterone?
Yes. Grass-fed beef and beef liver will increase testosterone levels, due mainly to its high content of vitamin D, B12 and zinc content. Grass-fed beef is much more nutritious than grain-fed, and is much more lean, due to the animals being able to roam around.
Grass-fed beef also has a higher content of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which research has shown to be responsible for an increase in testosterone levels. In addition, CLA is extremely beneficial to heart health, increasing energy, thus ultimately decreasing body fat, and in turn increasing muscle mass, as well as improved sexual functioning.
Beef liver is an especially good source of zinc and B12 which, as mentioned, are essential for the production of testosterone.
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Does Milk Increase or Decrease Testosterone Levels?
Does drinking milk decrease testosterone? What about other dairy products?
Dairy milk contains large amounts of a feminine hormone known as estradiol which is going to negatively affect your testosterone, unfortunately, if you drink cow milk. And since other dairy products are made from milk, that goes for those, as well. Although, it is known that butter made from grass-fed cow milk is actually good for the production of dairy milk, due to its presence of vitamins D, K2, A and E, as well as saturated fatty acids, all of which are key in the synthesis of testosterone.
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Does Fast Food Decrease Your Testosterone?
Since the 1950s testosterone levels in men have decreased by about 1 percent up until now, research has shown. This adds up to about 77 percent of men right now are deficient in testosterone. This is due in large part to the quality of the food now available to us, but particularly the amount of fast food we tend to consume. Processed food in general is responsible, but yes, fast food decreases testosterone more commonly than anything else lifestyle related.
Why Do People Eat Processed Food? | The Monster Among Us
Does Drinking Coffee Reduce Testosterone or Increase It?
Does caffeine increase or decrease testosterone? 
Annoyingly, this is like asking the question, “Who created God?”. There are countless opposing opinions on this. But it is not a cut-and-dried thing, unfortunately.
The easiest way to say it, right off, would be to say that the answer to whether or not drinking coffee reduces testosterone or increases it would be to say that the answer is, “both“.
Is Drinking 2 Cups of Coffee Everyday Healthy? | 10 Surprising Benefits
To simplify it even more, and what you won’t commonly find on the internet, is that it is essentially the amount of caffeine you consume that determines whether caffeine is beneficial or not with regards to the production of testosterone.
This article explains this all in detail.
Of course, concerning the production of testosterone there are still benefits and downsides to drinking coffee, and it is much more complicated, I hate to tell you. And when I am confused about something, I fix myself a cup of coffee and watch YouTube!
7 Ways to Boost Testosterone Naturally – Dr. Eric Berg
Does Fasting Improve Testosterone Levels In Men?
Intermittent fasting does improve testosterone in men, as well as having great benefits for everyone, overall. Here are a few of the key ways in which fasting improves testosterone levels in men:
- Reduces fat, allowing your body to produce higher quantities of testosterone
- Encourages the testes to produce testosterone by adding more luteinizing hormone (via the pituitary gland)
- Increases insulin sensitivity, which is capable of boosting testosterone levels
- Alters your sensitivity to leptin, so you are less likely to overeat, as being obese tends to reduce testosterone levels
Intermittent fasting is a way to restrict caloric intake for extended periods of usually around 24 to 72 hours or longer. When you cut off food for these periods, your body no longer receives the glucose it is used to receiving from food, which it uses for energy. Your liver will then begin to utilize stored glucose to keep up your energy level. When it has finished burning the leftover glucose, it will then go after stored fat.
As well as helping you lose weight, which is good for testosterone production, fasting also triggers autophagy, which is the process of cleaning up bad cells so your body can generate new ones. This is great for the immune system, as well as the digestive system.
7 Daily Intermittent Fasting Benefits | Fasting and Autophagy
How do antidepressants affect testosterone?
What Are Some Foods that Increase Testosterone?
In addition to crass-fed butter, beef and beef liver, which we have mentioned, some other foods that increase testosterone levels are as follows:
- Coconut oil
- Garlic
- Brazil nuts
- Avocado
- Celery
- Ginseng
- Broccoli
- Eggs
- Raisins
- Onion juice
- Ginger
- Pomegranate
- Asparagus
- Clams
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hot chili peppers
- Parsley
This article lists most of these, as well as a few additional foods that increase testosterone levels, with details of how they do so, as well as some foods known to hinder testosterone production.
How Garlic Is Good for You | 14 Uses for Garlic As Medicine
Can Women Have a Testosterone Deficiency?
As mentioned at the top of the show, both men and women produce testosterone (and estrogen, by the way). But can women be deficient in testosterone?
They can. They can also produce too much testosterone. It is a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome.
But if women do not produce enough testosterone, although they are less likely to be tested for the underproduction, (presumably because it is far less common), the symptoms are pretty much the same as they are for men—sexually (switch genital parts), emotionally, cognitively, etc.
Unhealthy Testosterone Levels In Women: Causes and Symptoms
To correct testosterone deficiency, women should take approximately 1/4 the dose of any testosterone supplementation than that of what a man would take. It is not uncommon for women to be prescribed far too high a dose for testosterone deficiency.
Natural Testosterone Supplementation
And speaking of supplementation, it can’t be strongly-enough stated that both women and men should adjust their diet accordingly, along with to attain optimal testosterone levels before trying anything else. But if that doesn’t work, you could consider testosterone replacement.
You can’t go wrong with NOW Foods supplements (they are practically all I buy, due to the purity, efficacy and value, and the fact that so many other supplements are garbage). Are Supplements a Scam? | Do Health Supplements Work?
Yes, I do get a wee commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase these (see the affiliate disclaimer in the footer).
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Summary
So yes, eating meat can increase testosterone, provided it is grass fed, which it is just a good idea to eat anyway, if you are a meat-eater.
We have also seen that fast food decreases your testosterone levels, as do other processed foods, as well as do milk and dairy.
We have gone over the symptoms, causes and remedies for low testosterone levels and learned that intermittent fasting improves testosterone levels in men.
And if you didn’t know that there were many foods that increase testosterone, you now do, and we listed a bunch of them for you!
And just remember, correcting your diet is always the first step. Unless you have 20 minutes to live, that is. Then you might want to hurry to a hospital. Otherwise avoid those awful institutes like you would avoid eternal hellfire!
Cheers.
