Introduction
Testosterone ‘boosters’ and supplements have slightly been ‘taboo’ for many men. Or simply something most men don’t talk about. For this reason, there’s a lot of ineffective T booster formulas out there, they simply don’t work; and for that reason many people write-off everything as non helpful. However, hormones, namely testosterone, have come to the forefront of many discussions these days as people find out gaining muscle, losing fat, and bedroom performance isn’t just calories in/calories out.
In this article we will talk about what testosterone supplements work, and what testosterone supplements are all fluff.
What Works?
Vitamins:
There should be no surprise when it comes to vitamin status and its correlation with optimized testosterone. One of the most important vitamins for Testosterone synthesis is Vitamin D when adequate luteinizing hormone signaling is also present. This means, as long as you have adequate Vitamin D levels from regular sun exposure or supplementation then so long as your natural testosterone production isn’t disrupted, you will see benefits from optimizing Vitamin D levels.
I highly recommend people start with Vitamin D blood tests to assess their levels first. The best way to supplement Vitamin D is perhaps through use of wild caught cod liver oil.
When Vitamin D3 or D3+K2 is supplemented on its own, it can deplete magnesium and copper levels. Cod liver oil covers these bases in a good form to prevent depletion of other vitamins and minerals.
The best blood test to do for Vitamin D is the 1,25 hydroxyvitaminD; this gives the best insight into how your body actually utilizes vitamin d. The common 25 hydroxyvitaminD panel is insight into how much vitamin d you have stored in your body, which can be correlative for Testosterone levels, but are not the end-all, be-all.
Minerals:
Magnesium is essential for optimizing testosterone. Many are deficient, through no fault of their own. Modern farming practices have depleted magnesium from the soil. This makes supplementation of magnesium one of those things most people should integrate. 400-600 mg daily of magnesium glycinate is the best and most effective form to start with.
Avoid: magnesium oxide
Zinc is also a key mineral that gets depleted from poor quality diet, as well as lifestyle. Zinc is released in high concentrations each time one spills their seed. It’s required for efficient testosterone synthesis and sperm synthesis. I suggest most people eat foods like oysters or grass fed beef to optimize their zinc levels; but also limit their frequency of ‘masculine release.’ If food sourcing of zinc is not convenient, I recommend zinc picolinate with a hefty meal.
Avoid: supplementing zinc on an empty stomach. Highly preferred to get from food.
Boron is a trace mineral that is also highly deficient due to farming practices and often dietary choices. This has promise to normalize a high SHBG which binds up our sex hormones like testosterone. This means you have higher free testosterone levels. It’s recommended to get a blood test for SHBG or Free Testosterone to infer if boron supplementation is right for you. I recommend 7-12 mg of boron daily with a meal if your SHBG levels are elevated.
Avoid: eating too low carb, or fasting for too long to exacerbate high SHBG levels
Herbs:
Tongkat Ali (eurycoma longifolia) is perhaps one of the most well studied herbs that has looked at results like increased testosterone and sperm quality. The capacity for this herb to help not only men with low testosterone, but also teenagers with already pretty high testosterone levels as well. Its mechanisms may be one in many, often people reference it’s ability to increase free testosterone by unbinding it from SHBG. However, with quality genuine Tongkat Ali extract we also see Total Testosterone levels increase substantially as well.
Questionable Supplements
Ashwagandha (KSM-66) is not directly a testosterone boosting herb, certainly a great option if one deals with high and consistent levels of cortisol or excess stress. When cortisol levels stay elevated for too long, it can eat away at our Testosterone levels. So dialing in stress is key, and Ashwagandha can help, but it’s not going to boost your testosterone on its own.
Horny Goat Weed (epimedium) is probably one of the most useless herbal ingredients for men in my opinion. This is prevalent and sold because of its provocative name and men think that it has magical powers. This is often sold in formulas that are extremely dodgy and are advertised on dodgy websites as well. A more holistic substitution would be something like quality Schizandra Berry for proper blood flow.
Fadogia Agrestis has been shown to possibly signal LH to produce more testosterone in males. Although this could be beneficial for some, there haven’t been many studies in humans to fully confirm its safety. One of the more questionable studies showed some compounds in Fadogia Agrestis that may be toxic to the liver. For this reason, I will not be experimenting with this herb anytime soon, personally.
Tribulus Terrestris is one of the most common herbs in the typical GNC T-boosters out there. Its ability to boost testosterone in any significant way is yet to be seen. It along with goat weed may only show promise in blood flow optimization solely. If this is included in a T booster formula, you can likely disregard it altogether as a filler ingredient.
Closing
In closing, I want you to take away the importance of the baseline of micronutrients I mentioned above. From Vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium, and Boron these common deficiencies are foundational to naturally healthy testosterone levels. You won’t find these in the chicken and rice bodybuilding diet, so don’t set yourself up for failure by being too narrowly focused on macros like protein and carbs. Micronutrients are still important, and there ARE some quality herbs out there may help.
For a fully holistic and properly sourced Testosterone Booster, try Aphro-D.
I’ve taken Aphro-D very frequently in the past 4 years and have entirely transformed myself and my body. All naturally.
