Metabolism (or metabolic rate) is about how many calories your body burns each day. As for mitochondria, testosterone may be one piece of the puzzle, but it’s not a magic bullet. Then there’s mitochondria, cellular factories that break down food into usable energy. FFAs are fat molecules that circulate through your bloodstream. Higher levels are linked to greater motivation, persistence, and drive. Some research suggests it curbs visceral fat, the dangerous kind that wraps around your organs and raises your risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease.
You don’t have to have a digestive disease to experience gut-related hormonal issues. The gut is closely linked to your brain via the gut-brain axis, a communication network between your digestive tract and central nervous system. That means you could be eating well and still falling short hormonally if your gut isn’t pulling its weight. That inflammation may reduce the function of the Leydig cells in the testes—the very cells responsible for producing testosterone.
Initial investigations reported that a low energy availability (i.e., 13 kcal·kg FFM·day−1) significantly altered LH pulse frequency and amplitude . For example, an athlete training at a high intensity or prolonged duration, while attempting to lose fat mass by reducing caloric intake, may cause a low energy availability. Energy availability is defined as the difference between energy intake and energy expenditure, relative to an individual’s fat-free mass (FFM) . Competitive athletes focusing on enhancing their athletic performance often strive to improve their body composition by increasing lean body mass and decreasing fat mass 65,66,67. Similarly, Clemesha and colleagues reported that only ~25% of the 50 products they tested claiming to be testosterone boosters had scientific data to support their claims. Balasubramanian and colleagues recently examined the efficacy of the five top-ranked products and reported that the number of human studies conducted provided no definitive evidence for the efficacy of these products. However, the mechanism that was suggested was related to the role that phosphatidic acid may have on stimulating the mTor protein signaling pathway and not to an augmented androgen response.
The primary difference between the diets was that the KD group ingested a very low amount of dietary carbohydrates (5%) compared to the NKD (15%). This is an area of study that has much appeal to competitive strength/power athletes, but the evidence to support the use of these nutrients is often lacking. There appears to be an abundance of testosterone boosters that are marketed to the consumer. The best dietary sources of PS are organ meats such as brain, liver, heart, and kidney. PS is a phospholipid found in the cell membrane of a variety of tissues, including the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and skeletal muscle. Phosphatidylserine (PS) has also been proposed to enhance the anabolic response to exercise. Others have examined the capability of the element boron on its testosterone-boosting capability 55,56,57.
While other reviews have previously discussed the effect of nutrition on testosterone status 13,14,15,16, most of these papers have examined the role of single nutrient (macro/micro) or food/food groups. Increasing circulating concentrations of testosterone will result in an inhibition of the release of the gonadotrophins (GnRH and LH) via a negative feedback loop mechanism. FT is the active form of testosterone while protein-bound testosterone is inactive . As for its androgenic effects, testosterone mediates the development of male primary and secondary male characteristics such as sexual organ growth, deepening of the voice, and growth of facial and body hair .
One small study in 31 women with polycystic ovary syndrome showed that walnuts and almonds increased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) by 12.5% and 16%, respectively. Nuts are a great source of many important nutrients, including fiber, heart-healthy fats, and minerals like folic acid, selenium, and magnesium. Further research is needed to understand how different doses of alcohol affect testosterone levels in the general population. Another study in 2014 reported that alcohol consumption reduced semen and changed reproductive hormones in young Danish men.
And since muscle burns more calories than fat tissue, adding muscle can slightly boost your metabolism while you’re at rest and during exercise. Testosterone plays a key role in regulating metabolism, influencing how efficiently your body burns calories and processes energy. These metabolic benefits weren’t automatic, though—lifestyle factors like strength training, diet, and sleep quality still played a critical role. Fitfluencers on TikTok tout testosterone as the ultimate metabolism hack, claiming more testosterone means more muscle, increased fat-burning, and an effortlessly speedier metabolism. However, there is no evidence to prove that testosterone therapy raises testosterone in healthy males. People can boost testosterone naturally through diet and exercise or, in some cases, through supplementation. Some studies have found that testosterone booster supplements and medications may present some health risks.
One study found that DHEA supplements are effective in increasing testosterone levels, although it varies for different groups of people. The men in the study showed significant increases in salivary testosterone under exam stress, while the women had substantially decreased testosterone levels. One 2016 study found that stressful events contributed to erratic changes in testosterone levels in males. In fact, the same study found that long-distance runners may experience low testosterone levels.