Can You Boost Low Testosterone Naturally?

By Eric Metcalf, MPH
WebMD Feature

If you're looking for ways to boost your testosterone level, start by looking at your daily habits. "I never prescribe testosterone alone without talking to men about their lifestyle," says Martin Miner, MD, co-director of the Men's Health Center at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I.

Some changes that are good for your overall health could also provide benefits in helping to maintain a healthy level of this important male hormone.

George Yu, MD, a urology professor at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., says that, for many men with low testosterone, poor sleep is the most important factor. A lack of sleep affects a variety of hormones and chemicals in your body. This, in turn, can have a harmful impact on your testosterone.

Make sleep a priority, aiming for 7 to 8 hours per night, even if it means rearranging your schedule or dropping your habit of late-night TV. Prize your sleep, just like you'd prize a healthy diet and active lifestyle. It's that important. 

If you're having problems getting good sleep on a regular basis, talk to your doctor.

Men who are overweight or obese often have low testosterone levels, says Alvin M. Matsumoto, MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

For those men, losing the extra weight can help bring testosterone back up, he says. Likewise, for men who are underweight, getting your weight up to a healthy level can also have a positive effect on the hormone.

Testosterone adapts to your body's needs, Yu says. If you spend most of your time lying on the couch, your brain gets the message that you don't need as much to bolster your muscles and bones.

But, he says, when you're physically active, your brain sends out the signal for more of the hormone.

If you're getting little exercise now, Miner suggests starting by:

Walking briskly at least 10 to 20 minutes a day.Building strength with several sessions of weights or elastic bands each week. Work with a trainer to learn proper form so you don't injure yourself.

Don't go overboard. Extreme amounts of endurance exercise -- working out at the level of elite athletes -- can lower your testosterone.

If you're under constant stress, your body will churn out a steady stream of the stress hormone cortisol. When it does, it will be less able to create testosterone. So, controlling your stress is important for keeping up your testosterone, Miner says.

Miner's advice to the over-stressed men he sees in his office is to:

Cut back on long work hours. If you're logging lots of overtime, try to whittle your workday down to 10 hours or less.Spend 2 hours a day on activities you like that aren't work- or exercise-related, such as reading or playing music.

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Low Testosterone Linked to Later Arthritis in Study

Hormonal changes could influence disease severity, researchers say

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- Men with low levels of the hormone testosterone may be at greater risk for rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study.

Both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis have lower levels of testosterone in their blood than people without the disease. But it has not been known whether low testosterone levels are a cause or effect of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of joint function. Severe cases can last a lifetime.

In this study, Swedish researchers analyzed blood samples collected from 104 men who were later diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and 174 men of the same age who did not develop the disease. The average time between collection of the blood sample and a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was just less than 13 years, but ranged from 1 to 28 years.

After taking into account known rheumatoid arthritis risk factors such as smoking and weight, the researchers found that men with lower testosterone levels were more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. They did not, however, prove a cause-and-effect link between the two.

These men also had significantly higher levels of follicle stimulating hormone -- a chemical involved in sexual maturity and reproduction -- before they were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, according to the study, which was published online April 3 in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The findings suggest that hormonal changes occur before rheumatoid arthritis develops and could influence disease severity, the researchers said in a journal news release.

Rheumatoid arthritis results from the immune system attacking the body's own tissues. Previous research suggests that testosterone may dampen the immune system, the researchers said.

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More Men Taking Testosterone, But Risks Unclear

Study finds upsurge in use among men worried about 'low T,' but research suggests the drug has hazards

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Those late-night ads telling aging men that "low T" may be the reason they've lost the spring in their step appear to be reaching their audience. Use of testosterone therapy has increased dramatically over the past decade, according to a new study.

But experts worry that too many men may be taking the supplements without understanding the potential risks.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston pointed out that the development of new drugs, particularly topical gels, also likely played a role in this trend.

The study, published in the current issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, involved more than 10 million men aged 40 years and older. The researchers found use of testosterone therapy was three times higher in 2011 than it was in 2001. Over the course of the decade, testosterone therapy increased from 0.81 percent to 2.91 percent.

The investigators noted that 2.29 percent of men in their 40s and 3.75 percent of men in their 60s were taking some form of testosterone therapy by 2011.

While sales may be booming, the risks involved with supplements of the powerful male hormone remain uncertain. One study presented last month at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association suggests that use of testosterone might be an underappreciated cause of male infertility.

The study, from the University of Alabama, found that sperm production bounced back to healthier levels when some men being treated at fertility clinics stopped using testosterone supplements.

Another study published at the same meeting found that many online vendors of testosterone supplements accentuate supposed benefits from the drug, but minimize the risk.

The study, which looked at 70 websites from companies across the United States, found that just 27 percent of the online vendors described potential side effects, which experts say can include liver problems, male breast growth, increased male pattern baldness, possible harm to prostate health, raised risks for blood clots, congestive heart failure and a worsening of urinary symptoms.

One expert added that, due to these risks, men should be cautious before succumbing to "low T" advertisements. According to Dr. John Amory, professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, the supplements -- which can cost between $75 to $300 per month -- are currently "being oversold to patients."

In the new study, hypogonadism -- a condition that affects a man's ability to produce normal levels of testosterone -- was diagnosed in about half of the men treated with testosterone therapy, the study indicated.

However, about one-quarter of the men given the hormonal treatment did not have their testosterone levels checked first. Of the remaining 75 percent of men who did have their hormone levels tested, it remains unclear what percentage had low testosterone levels.

"This trend has been driven, in large part, by direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns that have targeted middle-aged men and the expansion of clinics specializing in the treatment of low testosterone or 'low-T centers,'" the lead author of the study, Dr. Jacques Baillargeon, an associate professor in preventive medicine and community health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said in a university news release.

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Testosterone Supplements May Hurt Male Fertility, Study Finds

Infertility clinics find that many men seeking help were taking 'T'

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Testosterone supplements are touted as a cure for low libido, but men who take them may reduce their odds of fathering a child, new research suggests.

Many men who sought infertility treatment at two U.S. clinics reported taking prescription testosterone supplements, according to a new study. And in most cases their sperm counts skyrocketed after they stopped taking the male hormone.

The study, limited to a pair of clinics in Alabama and Kansas, looked at the years 2005 to 2011. The researchers don't know if testosterone supplements, which continue to gain popularity, are contributing to even more cases of infertility now. Nor is it clear whether the hormone is harming fertility across the nation.

Still, the research suggests that testosterone spells trouble for many American men who want to have children, said study co-author Dr. Peter Kolettis, a professor of urology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "This has become a preventable cause of infertility."

Use of testosterone supplements -- or "T" -- is rapidly rising in the United States, and some observers think usage will remain inflated as more men see it as a possible cure for fatigue and flagging sex drive. Critics, however, question whether testosterone treatment is being prescribed to men who don't need it.

"More men are coming into [doctors'] offices asking for testosterone because they've seen the advertisements, and it looks like the fountain of youth: It will reduce fat, make them look sexier," said Dr. Bradley Anawalt, an endocrinologist and chief of medicine service at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, who was not involved in the study.

But testosterone can cause side effects such as male breast growth and blood clots. And "very few physicians are warning that it will turn off their sperm production," Anawalt said.

Adding testosterone to the body through supplementation spurs a process that impedes sperm production, Anawalt said. "Men struggling with fertility should not be on testosterone," he said. "[But] this is not something that most physicians or patients are thinking about."

The study, presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in San Diego, aimed to find out how many infertile men take the supplements despite the risks.

The researchers examined medical records of more than 1,500 men with an average age of 35 who sought fertility treatment at the two clinics.

Seven percent of the men were taking supplemental testosterone prescribed by a physician. The study focused on 34 men who agreed to stop using the hormone supplements.

Overall, the sperm counts of most patients bounced back. Average sperm concentration in semen jumped from 1.8 million per milliliter to 34 million per milliliter after supplemental testosterone was discontinued.

But the sperm counts of six of the 34 patients didn't recover. Testosterone treatments normally don't hurt fertility permanently, and it's not clear if they played a role in the men's continued infertility. The study also did not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship between testosterone supplements and lowered sperm count.

Anawalt said it typically takes between one and six months for a man's sperm count to recover after he stops using a testosterone supplement.

Kolettis, the study co-author, said certain men should avoid testosterone supplements. "I tell men not to take it until they're done having their own biological children," he said.

The supplemental testosterone in question is prescription-only, and unrelated to over-the-counter supplements marketed to increase testosterone production.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

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How Low Testosterone Affects Your Health

Dropping levels of this male hormone can cause more than sexual problems. It can also affect your mood, weight, and concentration.Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS

Pete Evans knew something was wrong when he had sudden problems getting an erection. At 52, he had always had an active sex life. Even the bone marrow transplant he underwent in the summer of 2009 had little effect on his libido. Then, six months after the transplant, he lost his ability -- and his appetite -- for sex.

"After the operation, I had tons of energy, great libido. Then suddenly, things just stopped working," Evans (not his real name) says. "I was kind of depressed, too. After all I'd been through and now this."

Finding himself unable to perform was an alarming first for him. When Evans, a retiree who lives in Amherst, Ohio, told his doctor, he received a prescription for Viagra. That didn't help. At a follow-up appointment, he had some blood work done. It showed that his testosterone level had tanked, likely a side effect of one of the post-transplant medications he was taking. This time, his doctor sent him to a urologist, who prescribed a testosterone skin patch to boost the levels of the hormone in his blood. He's now been using patches for about five months.

"I'm feeling more and more confident," Evans says. "Bringing up my testosterone has brought up my mood dramatically. I feel normal in every way."

Evans needed his bone marrow replaced because he has a rare blood disorder called aplastic anemia. His low level of testosterone, however, is a condition he shares with many men his age. The big difference is that Evans's testosterone levels plummeted almost overnight due to complications with his medication.

Age-related loss of testosterone, on the other hand, is gradual, dropping by about 1% to 1.5% per year beginning at age 40. The low testosterone levels that result can leave men feeling less energetic, less self-assured, and less manly.

In some labs, the normal levels (determined by a simple blood test) of a man's testosterone will measure 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter. However, it's important to confirm low levels of testosterone since many men will have normal levels on repeated testing due to fluctuations of the hormone.

"I felt like something had been taken away from me," Evans says, and it wasn't just about the sex. "I didn't have the strength I once had, and I was not able to build muscle mass."

Evans's description resonates with Edmund Sabanegh, chair of the urology department and director of the Center for Male Infertility at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. "I look at testosterone as jet fuel. It keeps men running. Diminished mental clarity, motivation, drive -- all of these things can be related to low testosterone."

Testosterone plays a big role throughout a man's life. The hormone is the prime driver of puberty, responsible for the deepening of the voice, the development of muscles, and the growth of pubic hair. Without testosterone, there would be no beards or mustaches since it regulates facial hair. Sperm production falls under testosterone's control. In sum, it's the hormone that makes a man a man, and it is what gives men their appetite for sex.

While a decline in blood testosterone may be a normal part of aging and the most common cause of low testosterone, it is not the only one. Testicular cancer as well as the chemo and radiation used to treat it and other forms of cancer can deplete a man's levels of the hormone. Excess alcohol and certain medications may also be the cause. Pituitary and thyroid diseases as well as injuries to the testes can also drain your testosterone.

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