Testosterone is a male sex hormone and that is what separates men from boys by giving them a deeper voice, larger muscles, or hairs on the body and face. This hormone stimulates the growth of sexual organs since the beginning of the puberty, increases libido and improves mood. However, for years, the amount of testosterone declines naturally, and this period in men’s life is called Andropause.
Symptoms of low testosterone are:
Low libido (decreased sexual desire)
Problems with erection
Smaller penis
Decreased spermatozoa count
Decrease in overall muscle mass
Increased percentage of body fat
Loss of body hair
Depressed mood
Problems with concentrating
Feeling fatigue
One of the most common symptoms of low testosterone is reduced libido. In fact, almost every man suspects having a lower testosterone level, complains of having a lack of sexual desire. Apart from low desire for sex, men with a lack of testosterone are less masturbating and have lesser fantasies and erotic dreams. Parts of the brain in charge of sexual lust such as the amygdala are filled with testosterone receptors. Lack of sexual desire also causes erectile problems, but these problems are not caused by a disease. Without high-quality testosterone, penile tissue, scrotum, and testicles will atrophy and decrease. As a result, there is a decrease in the length and width of the penis. Also, there is a reduced production of sperm, but with the help of therapy, the old “glory” can be restored very quickly. Also there are some scientific ways that help you to boost testosterone levels naturally.
An increased level of testosterone in the body creates an anabolic state, or a process in which muscles are built. In practice, this means that our organism will formulate processes for the production of proteins that will prevent muscle contraction. When the level of testosterone decreases, our body enters the catabolic state and then decomposes the muscle tissue. This is best seen if you regularly go to a gym where, despite your great effort, your muscles are “melting”.
Even when you begin to lose weight, a part of your body will begin to grow. Unfortunately, it’s a stomach. Visceral fat is deep abdominal fat deposits that form around our organs and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Problems with thinking and memory loss are common symptoms in men with testosterone deficiency. Some of the side effects of testosterone deficiency in addition to sexual dysfunction and weight problems are long lasting bad mood. Consequently, mood disorders such as depression and anxiety can trigger a dangerous cycle because depression can negatively affect the ability of your testicles to produce testosterone.
Besides aging, there are the reasons that might be contributing to decreased level of testosterone:
Poor function of the liver
Poor gastrointestinal health
Any acute illness
Blood sugar or insulin problems
Problems with pituitary gland
How to determine testosterone level at home?
Technology outbreaks gave us the solution for testing testosterone at home. There are several products on the market and all of those are using saliva as a specimen, which is very convenient for performing test at home. After you collect the sample of your saliva, you should pack the test kit according to product requirements and sent it by mail to lab for further testing.
So, once again-you can collect your saliva at home by using some of the test kits available on the market, but the analysis of the saliva and determination of testosterone level has to be performed in the authorized laboratory.
Can I rely on those tests?
No one can deny the fact that the most accurate way to determine your testosterone level is to make an appointment at your doctor’s office who will arrange blood sampling (inserting a sterile needle in your vein on the inside of the elbow and filling the lab tube with your blood). Blood sampling is most appropriate to perform between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., because at that time testosterone level is highest.
However, if it is too complicated for you, home tests can use as an orientation. Unfortunately, there is still controversy about reliability of saliva versus blood tests. On one hand, it is less stressful to give saliva sample and more convenient, since you can do that at home. On the other hand, we mustn’t forget that sometimes test results depend on how we collected the sample or handled the home test kit.
What should I do if my test results are showing low level of testosterone?
Either way, physical and psychological signs of low testosterone along with the poor test results are an alarm for us to see the doctor and to find out whether the testosterone loss is solely due to ageing, or there might be a disease which affects the level of this sex hormone. Nevertheless, sometimes all we need to do is to change some bad habits that make our testosterone low.
What food to avoid if my testosterone level is not as expected for my age?
First of all, we have to make an effort and change some of our habits. That means we have to give up some food that might interfere with testosterone production.
We have to avoid:
Alcohol drinking – alcohol destroys our liver, leads to gain weight and boosts estrogen, which all lead to lower testosterone
Soya – soybeans are full of fytoestrogen which boosts the production of estrogen and lower testosterone
Low-carb diet – such diet boosts production of stress hormone cortisol, which is further responsible for low testosterone levels
Trans fats – all products containing those “unhealthy” fats, such as fast foods, snacks, pastry, cookies, cakes, margarine and other vegetable oil spreads affects the testosterone levels.
There are also results of various studies available where some other foods are listed as potentially bad for adequate testosterone levels, such as any food containing high levels of sugar, microwave pop corns, mint, flaxseed and spearmint, to name some of the few. Also there are some amazing foods that are natural testosterone boosters, try taking these foods to produce more testosterone.
Article courtesy of Gracy Liura
Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock
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