Declining Testosterone levels

Two papers that I came across recently that some guys over 30 might appreciate reading follow. I had trouble getting both down so that less than 10% of the text was here (so I would not be in breach of copyright). However, I think the important bits are still there. The papers say little more than I have loosely said in “My Pics” below, but carry a heap more authority.

Long-term measures of free testosterone predict regional cerebral blood flow patterns in elderly men

Scott D. Moffat, Susan M. Resnick

Abstract

We previously reported that high circulating free testosterone (T) was associated with better performance on tests of memory, executive function, and spatial ability, and with a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, we report that free T levels, measured on multiple occasions over 14 years, predict regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured by PET in 40 older men… .These findings suggest that endogenous T influences brain physiology in regions critical for memory and attention and provide one mechanism through which T may affect cognitive function.

Introduction

In men, total testosterone (T) levels decline by approximately 50% from ages 30-80 [19] and as many as 68% of men over age 70 can be classified as hypogonadal based on their endogenous free T concentrations [14]. This progressive loss of T with age in men has significant physiological consequences including decreased muscle mass, reduced bone density and sexual dysfunction [12]. Among men with suspected andropause, memory loss was the third most commonly reported symptom after sexual dysfunction and general weakness [37]. Despite the high morbidity associated with hypogonadism, there have been few studies specifically investigating the cognitive and neural effects of T supplementation in elderly men.

… . Although the effects of T on human brain and cognitive function are not clear, both associational [1,24] and randomized intervention trials [6,15] suggest that T may play an important role in the maintenance of cognitive function. In a series of studies [23-25], we have investigated the cognitive and neurological consequences of androgen depletion in elderly men. In one study, we followed 574 men for a mean duration of 19 years. We collected multiple serum samples for determination of total T, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and a free T index, and prospectively evaluated presence or absence of a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). High free T levels were associated with a significantly reduced risk of AD … .

Testosterone Treatment Enhances Regional Brain Perfusion in Hypogonadal Men

Nasrin Azad, Shailesh Pitale, W. Earl Barnes, and Nicholas Friedman

Abstract

The positive effect of testosterone replacement therapy on psychosocial well-being in hypogonadal men has been demonstrated by various psychometric tests. However, there is no report available that objectively demonstrates the effect of testosterone on the function of the central nervous system in men. In this report we studied cerebral perfusion in seven hypogonadal men on testosterone replacement therapy… .

Introduction

The majority of hypogonadal men on testosterone replacement therapy report substantial improvement in mental and in overall well-being (1-4). The brain is recognized as a steroidogenic organ on the basis of its ability to produce and metabolize steroid hormones (5). Testosterone present in the brain, as in the other organs, can be either reduced to a more potent androgen, dihydrotestosterone, by 5a-reductase or aromatized to estradiol (6-9).

The presence of specific receptors for androgen and estrogen further supports the hypothesis that steroid hormones play an active role in neuronal functions (10-12). Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that steroid hormones promote neuronal cell growth and survival (13).

Steroid hormones may play a role as a neuromodulator. Studies have demonstrated that testosterone decreases |y-aminobutyric acid levels in hypothalamus (14,15). Testosterone and estradiol stimulate 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors and serotonin transporter protein metabolism in the central nervous system (CNS) (15-20).

In this study, we have tested the hypothesis that testosterone replacement therapy will increase CNS blood perfusion in hypogonadal men… . . The study demonstrates a novel finding that testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men significantly increases cerebral perfusion in areas of the CNS, which are rich in serotonin and instrumental in memory and cognitive function.

Further to my post above, it was the screwing up of my muscle:fat ratio that first brought declining T to my attention. Put simply, I developed a beer gut, man boobs and chicken legs. I was not as strong as I used to be.

I am now aware that not all of these muscle/fat issues were real, but some were. I have also discovered that as we age, we can lose disc matter and shrink. So, older folk are considerably shorter than they used to be.

However, the volume of our guts do not change. As we get shorter, then, our guts have to go somewhere and outwards to the front is the logical place.

Further, as men get older, we tend to tilt our pelvis forward (think of it as a bowl full of water, with the water now spilling to the front), especially if we are not fit. This, along with the issues raised above result in a beer gut.

I now have my issues under control for the moment anyway (again, view the images in “My Pics”), below. If I pinch the fat layer to the side of my navel, it is only 2 cm (0.8”) thick. For those interested, I’m 178 cm (5’10”) and weigh 78 kg (170 lb) stripped. I’ve shrunk 4 cm (1.6”) since my 20s.

What do I do:

1. I’m on HRT
2. I work out with weights on 3 day per week and cardio on five.
3. I avoid beer (when I do drink it, it’s wheat free).
4. I avoid dairy (as in cow) products, but supplement with calcium. I do eat some goat or sheep cheese
5. I avoid all fat-rich foods, including burgers and chips (french fries).
6. I have no wheat or wheat derived foods.
7. I have a high protein/complex carbohydrate diet (but see 8, below) with lots of fruit and vegetables.
8. I have a pre and post weight-training shake high in protein and glucose, and with l-arginine ethyl ester and creatine.

Ask if you want more details on my shakes or diet.

If only I didn’t have that steel band in my dick that restricts its length!!!!!!!!!

Say it isn’t so, Rick! No French fries???!

We have a few more guys here who are paying attention to theirs.

http://www.nowl oss.com/ways-to … ng-steroids.htm

13 ways to naturally Increase your testosterone

1. Get more Zinc

Zinc is very important for the production of natural testosterone because Zinc prevents testosterone from being converted into estrogen (the female hormone) by making the enzyme aromatase not work (look at #3 below) plus…

Zinc itself turns estrogen into testosterone and Zinc helps produce healthier sperm and higher sperm counts so actually… Low levels of zinc can cause low testosterone levels.

Foods high in Zinc include oysters (a natural aphrodisiac), beef, liver, crab, seafood, poultry, nuts and seeds, salmon, brown rice, cheese, pine nuts, beans, turkey, milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese or you can supplement with at least 50-to-100mg of Zinc daily

2. Eat more healthy fats

Research has shown that men who ate diets rich in healthy fats like monounsaturated fats & Omega-3 fats had the highest testosterone levels so…

You can naturally raise your testosterone levels by adding more healthy fats by eating more nuts & seeds, fatty fish like salmon & tuna, avocados, olives, vegetable oils, and natural peanut butter and…

Eating a very low-fat diet can actually lead to lowered testosterone levels because your body needs healthy fats in order to produce testosterone but…

This doesn’t mean you need to eat a REAL HIGH fat diet - Just make sure at least 20-to-30% of your total daily calories comes from healthy fats.

3. Lose body fat

The more overweight you are or the higher your body fat percentage is = The higher your estrogen levels will be because body fat contains an enzyme called aromatase that converts your ‘manly’ testosterone into ‘womanly’ estrogen making your testosterone levels drop so…

Go on a weight loss workout program to lower body fat, reduce estrogen and increase testosterone and…

Try not to Diet or cut too many calories when trying to lose body fat because you don’t want your body going into starvation or survival mode which will cause your body to stop making testosterone so whenever you’re trying to lose fat & increase testosterone at the same time…

Make sure you focus on losing 1-to-3 pounds of fat a week mainly thru weight loss exercise.

4. Get rid of excess estrogen

To get rid of excess estrogen that makes you fatter & weaker so your body can naturally produce more testosterone…

You can eat more RAW cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower because cruciferous vegetables contain a chemical called diindolylmethane (or DIM) that helps your body get rid of excess estrogen and… You can supplement with DIM to flush out excess estrogen or eat these other sources of cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, bok choi, radishes, turnips, collard greens, and kale and…
You can eat more fiber to naturally cleanse your body and flush out toxins that cause you to have excess estrogen (like the xenoestrogens from #5 below) - Most fruits & vegetables, nuts & beans are all high in fiber and…
You can also supplement with Red grape skin extract (resveratrol) to help your liver remove excess estrogen.

5. Try to avoid Xenoestrogens

Xenoestrogens are man-made estrogens that are found in things like pesticides, artificial growth hormones & steroids, air fresheners and plastic containers and these xenoestrogens will increase your levels of the female hormone estrogen while lowering testosterone so…

Eat more organic fruits & vegetables that are free of pesticides and if you do buy your fruits & vegetables at a regular grocery store… Make sure you wash them to lower your chances of consuming any xenoestrogens and…
Eat more naturally raised meats instead of eating beef, chicken, pork and even milk that was raised using artificial growth hormones and steroids and…
Use glass products to store food & water instead of plastic since plastic products tend to produce xenoestrogens that’ll get into your water & food especially when heated and… Even some canned foods contain plastic coatings that contain xenoestrogens and…
Don’t use any perfumes, colognes, or air fresheners that have parabens listed as one of the ingredients. Parabens are xenoestrogens.
Please note: It’ll be fairly hard for you to 100% completely avoid all xenoestrogens but if you follow the other tips on this page (especially tips #3 & #4) - You’ll still be able to naturally increase your testosterone while getting rid of excess estrogen without having to worry so much about trying to avoid xenoestrogens and…

Also note: Since most xenoestrogens accumulate in your body fat - your best defense against xenoestrogens is to lose body fat (look at #3 again)

6. Get at least 6-to-8 hours of Sleep every night

A university of Chicago study showed that men who got little sleep had way lower testosterone levels than men who got 6-to-8 hours of sleep and… According to a University of North Carolina study… Your testosterone levels can drop down by as much as 40 PERCENT when you don’t get enough sleep and generally…

Your testosterone levels are 30% higher in the morning than in the evening and this is why you may be more horny in the mornings and as a matter of fact…

A loss of morning erections or loss of sexual desire in the morning could be a sign that your testosterone is declining so you need to get 6-to-8 hours of sleep every night because while you’re sleeping…

Your body produces the most testosterone and the better you sleep the more testosterone your body will produce while you sleep so if you’re having trouble getting 6-to-8 hours of good quality ‘testosterone producing’ sleep every night - Look at 33 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep

7. Stress Less

When you get stressed out - your body releases a "stress" hormone called cortisol that shuts down testosterone production…

Research led by Population Council endocrinologist Matthew Hardy found that stress hormones like cortisol overpower the enzymes responsible for ensuring that cells in the testes produce testosterone
Cortisol also makes you gain belly fat and you already know from #3 above that the fatter you are = you’ll have more estrogen and less testosterone so…

You need to stop worrying about the little things, avoid overtraining, control your temper and look at these ways to lower stress and Being more positive can reduce your stress levels and increase Testosterone…

A recent study found that fans of a losing team had 50 percent lower levels of testosterone after their team lost and fans had up to 100% higher levels of testosterone after their team won.
Taking a natural supplement like Ashwagandha can also help reduce cortisol.

8. Take 1000-to-1500mg of Vitamin C per day

Now if you have a hard time avoiding stress - you want to start taking 1000-to-1500mg of Vitamin C per day because…

Vitamin C has been shown to lower cortisol levels allowing your body to make more Testosterone and like Zinc…
Vitamin C reduces the armostase enzyme that converts your Testosterone into Estrogen.

9. Workout like a man

You can force your body to produce a lot of testosterone when you…

Do Compound exercises that train several large muscle groups like Power Cleans, Squats, Deadlifts, Bench presses, Chin-ups, Dips, and Military presses and you can still do isolation exercises like triceps extensions, bicep curls or chest flyes for definition but if trying to boost your Testosterone and build more muscle quickly - stick with compound exercises and…
According to a Swedish study… To get the biggest boost in testosterone when you do your compound exercises… Make sure you use heavy weights that will allow you to only do about 3-to-5 reps per set and you want to do about 5-to-8 sets of each compound exercise you do but…
You also want to limit your workout time on those compound exercises to 1-to-2 hours so just do only 1-to-2 compound exercises followed by a few optional isolation exercises twice a week (Mon. & Thur. for example) and as for burning fat…
Avoid ‘sissy cardio’ where you walk or run for long periods of time and start doing Manly Cardio workouts like Hill sprints and intervals 3-to-4 times a week and limit your long duration sissy cardio workouts to only 2 times a week and…
Make extra sure that you rest harder than you work out because overtraining leads to more cortisol and lower testosterone (see #7 again) and you may need to get 8+ hours of sleep to allow your body to recuperate and produce more testosterone after you workout like a man (see #6 again) and…

10. Try to get Sexually Stimulated as much as possible

If you’re not getting sexual stimulated or sexual aroused very much right now (especially if you’re over 40)… You can dramatically boost your testosterone levels by getting sexually stimulated more often so basically…

You need to start doing almost anything you can to get a sexually stimulating ‘Viagra free’ erection and German scientists even found that simply having an erection causes your levels of circulating testosterone to rise significantly and look at how these other 3 studies prove how much your testosterone can rise after getting sexual stimulated…

In a study done by Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna… 10 men viewed a 15 minute pornographic film and the men’s testosterone levels increased 100 percent afterwards.

Another study published by Psychoneuroendocrinology used sexually arousing films on 9 males and testosterone levels increased within 10 minutes of sexually arousal.

In a study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior… Testosterone was measured every 15 min for 3 hours in 8 men before, during, and after the showing of a sexually explicit movie and there was an average increase of 35% in testosterone so…
Not getting sexual stimulated or aroused for long periods of time can actually decrease your testosterone levels so if you find it hard to get sexually stimulated… You can do all the other 12 things on this page to increase your testosterone which will increase your sex drive or libido making you get sexually stimulated much easier and/or…

You can take a supplement like Horny Goat Weed to make you get sexually stimulated more easier to ramp up your testosterone levels.

11. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin A, B & E

Vitamins A, B, E (along with Vitamin C & zinc) are all essential in the production of testosterone and not getting enough A, B, & E Vitamins will lead to lower testosterone levels but… If you’re eating plenty of fruits & veggies, lean meats and nuts then you shouldn’t have to worry too much about supplementing with any extra A, B, & E Vitamins.

12. Don’t overheat your testicles (your balls)

Your testicles need to be 94-to-96 degrees or about 2 degrees cooler than your body temperature to function at it’s best and produce the most testosterone so…

If you’re wearing tight underwear, tight pants, take long HOT baths or do anything thing else to overheat your testicles… You may inhibit your testosterone production so it’s best to wear looser clothes like boxers to prevent overheating your balls and did you also know that…

Carrying around excess fat also overheats your testicles so look at #3 again for how to burn fat.

13. Don’t Drink any Alcohol & Don’t eat any Grapefruit

Even if you had only 2 drinks a day… Alcohol makes it hard for your liver to breakdown estrogen making you have more estrogen & less testosterone which will cause you to become more woman-like by making you loose facial & pubic hair, get man boobs and become impotent and…

Alcohol decrease zinc levels in your body (look at #1 again) an just like alcohol - Grapefruits can also make it hard for your liver to breakdown estrogen.
:attention

Hey abocet, I said avoid, not go without. The problem is that fat tastes SOOOOOOOO good. It makes much of our food desirable. My experience is, though, that you can move away from that if you determine to do so and other foods become much more palatable over time.

On another matter, many doctors are opposed to HRT because they reckon it can cause cancer, especially of the prostate. Note the first of the two papers above says, “Testosterone present in the brain, as in the other organs, can be either reduced to a more potent androgen, dihydrotestosterone … . or aromatized to estradiol (6-9)”. Other evidence suggests it is the estradiol that is the cancer-causing culprit and you make more of it as you get older. Supplementing with T does not help. However, you can stop/control the aromatization process by taking Arimidex. There is NO evidence that HRT causes cancer where estradiol is kept under control. In short, there is no reason why you cannot retain many aspects of your youth. I reckon I operate at age 35 or better as for ability to get it up, muscle mass, etc. In short, most of the symptoms I’ve listed as applying to low T in “My Pics” just go away.

And gprent, I do all of that, except the no alcohol bit. While these things are good and should be followed anyway, their ability to achieve the desired T levels is limited. Eventually, HRT is the only solution for most guys. Some, however, can get well into old age just by following your suggestions. It is the best “first stop”.

Note that the first of the two papers above states, “total testosterone (T) levels decline by approximately 50% from ages 30-80 [19]”. So, we’re all different, with some suffering andropause in their 30s and others not ‘til their 80s. I was in my late 50s and doing nearly all of what you listed above, but it wasn’t enough — andropause had set in.