Effect of vitamin D on testosterone levels

No, I generally keep away from doctors.

I am very sensitive. I have been meditating for 35 years. I don’t drink. I eat well.

I can be in strong sunshine all day, and feel wonderful. Maybe it’s my brand of D3. I take it with food. It does not make me feel ill straight away, I have to take it for several days to build up a residue. I took a cap on Tuesday, and took another today (Friday). 2 hours after taking the pill today, I got the nausea/sick feeling. It’s not that bad, but I would like to find a “sunshine in a bottle” D3, and this isn’t it.

I found it funny seeing this as a recent post because I just recently purchased Vitamin D3 from Amazon since I get slight Seasonal Affective Disorder between fall and winter.

I take 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 (careful, not Vitamin D2) every morning with breakfast (eggs/chicken/steak or steel cut oats, spinach, OJ/coffee). I feel like Vitamin D3 and phototherapy together have a substantial affect on elevating my mood, testosterone levels, and libido.

From my reading and own experience, Vitamin D3, "The sunlight Vitamin" has proven useful mostly during Fall-Winter w/ Phototheraphy at wavelengths between 280-320 nm.

[From PubMed, http://www.ncbi … ubmed/10888476]

Abstract
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is prevalent when vitamin D stores are typically low. Broad-spectrum light therapy includes wavelengths between 280-320 nm which allow the skin to produce vitamin D. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in SAD. A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted in a group of 15 subjects with SAD. Eight subjects received 100,000 I.you. Of vitamin D and seven subjects received phototherapy. At the onset of treatment and after 1 month of therapy subjects were administered the Hamilton Depression scale, the SIGH-SAD, and the SAD-8 depression scale. All subjects also had serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D) measured before and 1 week after intervention therapy. All subjects receiving vitamin D improved in all outcome measures. The phototherapy group showed no significant change in depression scale measures. Vitamin D status improved in both groups (74% vitamin D group, p < 0.005 and 36% phototherapy group, p < 0.01). Improvement in 25-OH D was significantly associated with improvement in depression scale scores (r2=0.26; p=0.05). Vitamin D may be an important treatment for SAD. Further studies will be necessary to confirm these findings.

Exactly.

I had mine tested when I had my T levels tested, both were low. My GP tried to tell me they were within ‘normal’ levels for a man my age (52), that was an unacceptable answer, and wouldn’t have that. I explained that I didn’t want to be on the low end of normal, the high end of normal yields so many more advantages. So they put me on D-3, 5000 IU twice a day, with food. And as a bonus, I used less sunscreen, and spent 30 minutes per day sunbathing naked in a secluded area of my property.

My Vitamin D level on 6-25-13 was 32, and on 9-25 it was 78. I plan on staying with the Vitamin D-3 supplement amounts until spring, winter in my neighborhood is long, dark, cloudy and cold. I don’t see alot of sunshine in my future in the next 6 months.

My Free T level was 8. (normal is between 9-30) That gets tested again next Tuesday.

The thing about Tlevels and doctors is it’s easy for them to say “it’s in the normal range for your age”. My reply was ” I don’t want to be in the normal range for my age, I want to be in the upper range for a man that’s half my range. Testosterone is more than about muscles and erections”.

I stole that quote from someone here on TP, so I say to them, Thank You.

Hey Red, all the best for Tuesday.

I’m really looking forward to you posting your Testosterone levels RedJr.

Yes Sir, I will.

Well just for the record I’m now taking 10000 iu of Vitamin D per day.

I’ve had the updated results for a week, life sometimes gets in the way of posting.

I was disappointed, but not surprised at either the updated T levels or my GP’s interpretation of them.

Even though my Vitamin D levels have been increased to a healthy level, my testosterone levels dropped since 7-2-13 when they were last checked. On June 25th they were 471 total and 8.0 Free. On July 2nd, (when I started taking 10000 IU Vitamin D-3 daily) they were 465 total and 8.4 Free. On October 8th they were 421 total and 7.6 Free.

Via Email the doctors office statement with the results was (QUOTE) " Total testosterone is good. Free is only slightly low, so with the total being just right, we would not treat."

TESTOSTERONE,FREE 7.6
Reference range: 9 to 30
(NOTE)
Testing performed by Equilibrium Dialysis.
TESTOSTERONE,TOTAL 421
Reference range: 240 to 950
(NOTE)
Testing performed by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass
Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

I have done very little reading on the subject, but the little that I have read here on Thunders, tells me that l am low for what I am used to being. Problem is, I don’t have a baseline from when I had a normal (for me) energy level. I have all the symptoms of a deficiency (always tired, listless, lack of motivation/drive, depression, difficulty learning new things, etc) that some have talked about diagnosed with some issues with testosterone. My libido and erections (thank God) are good, but they weren’t before I started PE.

I haven’t addressed this yet with my GP, I am certain that I will be asking for a referral to a urologist or someone that specializes in these types of deficiencies. I would appreciate some advice from those more knowledgeable than I on this. Other than stating that a level of 7.6 free is only normal for a 85 year old with type II diabetes (which isn’t far from inaccurate), I need some ammunition when asking for a referral.

I did buy this book, http://www.amaz … /dp/0071494804/ , I haven’t had a chance to read it all the way through. I’ve heard nothing but good about it.

They haven’t checked your estrogen levels? I would try some natural anti-estrogenic supplements/foods.

I requested this to be tested at the same time I had them check Vitamin D, and testoserone on 7-2-13. These are the results:

Estradiol (Bellin only)-Details

ESTRADIOL 27

NORMALS
MALE 5.4-65.9 PG/ML
CHILDREN <10

I am not sure what “BELLIN ONLY” means.

This was good advise

I had the same guff from my doctor, however they don’t test for Phytoestrogens and Xenoestrogens and I have never heard of Bellin only, I’d phone him and ask what that is.

Even though your tests weren’t tragic I’d move to reverse any downward spiral now, As Marinera says get some Damiana and some nettle root extract and see how you feel with that. The Vitamin D is a long term thing, it is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin, and the changes flow behind the levels in the body, it’s like the body needs saturation at a certain level before it responds. Two things that help Vitamin D are, Vitamin K2 (mk4) and Vitamin E (full spectrum all eight in the group), I haven’t written up anything on those yet but I will.

Thanks Marinera and Behemoth….

I am presently cycling some supplements that I mix with Shakeoldgy shake. I started a thread about that here:

Shakeology

I add these to this shake, but all are cycled

Damiana 1500 MG
Celery Seed 3000 MG
Citrulline Malate 4000 MG
Maca Root 2000MG

Today I added Saw Palmetto 1100 MG into the rotation

I have Stinging Nettle Root in my cart at Swanson, I will add that as well.

What about Tribulus Terrestris? Any experiences with this?

Or Horny Goat Weed?

Also I take 4000 MG of EFA Super EPA (fish oil) and ZMA as recommended at night. The last two are per Zanes Diet.

Zaneblue’s book

Is this too much, too little? Are some of these less beneficial that others? Should I add something, delete something?

Again, thanks for the advise, and sorry if I am derailing this thread.

Hi RedJr,

Great to see you working at it with these supplements. I wouldn’t take anything out if it works for you, often natural supplements work for some and not for others, some counteract each other, some boost each other and all are dependent on how healthy your system is. For instance I don’t respond very well to Tribulus but I respond very well to Spanish Chamomile where others don’t.

With things like Damiana I take one before breakfast and one mid-afternoon the same for nettle root.

Aminos are best taken on an empty stomach or with other proteins so probably take them out of the shake and have the citrulline as your wake up drink of water half an hour before breakfast and then again mid afternoon .

As for the shake it looks as if they have bombed it with a couple of different vitamin pills and as much other stuff as they can find, which isn’t a bad thing, I just prefer to be a little more selective with quantities and timing of some of the ingredients, but if it is working for you keep doing it.

The question you need to ask yourself is what are you supplementing for do you want to boost testosterone for muscle building or for sex drive, or are you supplementing for better overall health. The reason I say this is that Testosterone works well “if you use it”, if you don’t the body will try to down regulate the production of it so ideally when you are taking boosting supplements you need to be working out to use the testosterone, and consequently if you work out more you have more sex drive and you get more testosterone as well.

So you are dividing up the portions of Damiana and Nettle for better absorption, or because they counter act others that you are taking??

Could I trouble you to tell me what of the supplements that I am cycling are Aminos, and should be taken on an empty stomach? And if any of these compete with absorption with another? Or is there a link that list what are aminos, what are herbs, etc?

I take ZMA before bed on a (fairly) empty stomach. That’s how it is recommended and I know that zinc is best taken alone or with magnesium. Or so I’ve read.

I am trying to get back to the moods, drive, ambition, and general well/happy attitude that I had back in 2009/10 and before. I started PE sometime in October of 2010 and was rewarded with an increased EQ and libido soon after, if anything, it’s gotten better. While I’ve never been a gym rat, I stay in shape/fit. This pic is from a couple years ago, nothing has changed weight or shape wise, other than my flaccid is larger, great for me. :)

RedJr - Post full body pics here

Hi RedJr,

The citrulline malate is an amino and that’s the one you want to take separately from carbohydrates, purely because carbs need a different stomach chemistry to digest than aminos and proteins, it’s ok to swallow your damiana (herb) and your nettle root (herb) and even cellery seed (herb) and Tribulus (herb) with it though.

I take doses of damiana and nettle root spread out as to lengthen the effect of them during the day, I work out twice a day so I take these and my testosterone boosters a couple of hours before I work out, boosting Test and suppressing the rest at the same time.

As for ZMA well I don’t take it I prefer to take my Zinc with dinner and my Magnesium when I go to bed, Magnesium can exclude other minerals from being absorbed so I like it on its own, and I get citrulline (amino), arginine (amino) and ornithine (amino) in my supplementing routine so I don’t feel I have any need of Aspartate (amino) as it is a by product in the urea cycle when the others are present.

I always find lifting heavy keeps my libido firing pretty well, you look fairly trim and no doubt fit. For me though I want to carry as much muscle on my frame as I can as I age, it’s a natural testosterone booster in itself and it attracts the girls which fires up my libido as well. :)