Dealing with low testosterone is a pain. Those that suffer from the medical condition may experience fatigue, increased body fat, hair loss or even depression. Luckily, there are ways to help maintain your testosterone levels.
One easy way to help balance your testosterone levels is through your diet. By paying attention to which foods you eat, you can effectively alter your testosterone levels to help aid your hypogonadism.
Here is a list of ten foods that are known to lower testosterone levels.
1. Mint
Studies concerning the effect mint has on testosterone levels has only been performance on lab rats and women. Still, the studies performed have resulted in evidence that mint can have a detrimental effect on one’s levels of testosterone.
2.Trans-Fats
Trans-fats are tricky. Unhealthy for many reasons, lowering your testosterone levels can now be added to the list. Found in fast food, potato chips and really anything with hydrogenated vegetable oil, trans-fats are best to avoid if you are looking to keep your testosterone levels up.
3. Nuts
It is important to differentiate which nuts you are consuming regularly. A study consisting of 31 women with polycystic ovary syndrome recently determined that walnuts and almonds have negative effects on testosterone levels. However, more research is needed to determine the effects other kinds of nuts have on T levels.
4. Licorice Root
Licorice root is an ingredient often found in candies and some beverages. However, the substance is also considered a remedy in holistic medicine. Either way, it’s best to stay clear of licorice root.
5. Flaxseed
Flaxseed, while healthy for its provision of omega-3 fatty acid, is also loaded with lingans. The compound decreases testosterone levels, making this food a poor choice for those looking to up their T levels.
6. Tea
The specific type of tea can have a large effect here. A study performed within the Phytotherapy Research, determined that women that ingested spearmint tea twice daily experienced greatly reduced testosterone levels over a one-month period. Overall, it’s best to stay away from spearmint and marjoram tea when trying to keep your testosterone levels high.
7. Soy
Soy products such as tofu, soy milk and miso potentially provide negative effects to testosterone upon consumption. Soy products contain phytoestrogens, a substance that mimics hormone altering estrogen.
8. Alcohol
Alcohol is a tricky one. Conservative alcohol consumption may potential benefit testosterone levels. However, excessive alcohol consumption has shown to cause debilitating effects to T levels.
9. Processed Foods
While trans-fats are nasty reducers of testosterone on their own, they can be even more effective in processed foods. Trans-fats are found within anything using hydrogenated vegetable oil. However, processed foods are the common culprits when it comes to consisting of heavy doses of trans-fats. Some studies have determined that consuming excessive amounts of trans-fats from processed foods in particular can have detrimental effects on your testosterone levels.
10. Vegetable Oils
It is important to pay attention to which vegetable oils you are consuming. Vegetable oils low in polyunsaturated fatty-acid (PUFA), such as olive or coconut oil, can actually have beneficial effects on your testosterone levels. However, vegetable oils outside of coconut, olive, avocado and palm oil are all high in PUFA and can lower your T levels rather than raise them.
