Andropause Part 2:

Tips For How You Can Sustain Healthy Testosterone Levels

Welcome back for Part 2 of our article on andropause. This time round, we’ll look at some tips on how you can sustain healthy testosterone levels to avoid or minimise the symptoms of andropause. Please keep in mind that andropause doesn’t happen to everyone. Also, in comparison to menopause in women, it’s not as sudden or as dramatic. If you’re experiencing the symptoms (refer to Part 1 of this article for these), it’s best to consult your healthcare practitioner to make sure its actually andropause. Until then, make sure you have enough gas in the tank with these tips: Diabetes Sucks!

1. Do your best to prevent chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Having these diseases depletes your testosterone supply faster than if you’re healthy. Scientific studies have consistently shown that the rate of testosterone decline is remarkably faster for men with chronic illnesses compared to healthy men. Adopt a healthy lifestyle and diet as a prevention strategy.Unfortunately, if you are already suffering from a chronic illness, try your best to manage the symptoms and follow the advice of your healthcare practitioner to manage the disease. Also, depending on how far it has progressed, reversing the condition may be a possibility. Many men are notorious for not getting help until the situation becomes serious. You should address any health concerns with your health practitioner promptly. Delays can have negative consequences.
2. We don’t recommend taking over-the-counter testosterone-like products in the hopes of increasing your body’s supply or production of this hormone, without talking to your doctor first. Your body has a reason for making less testosterone as you age and your symptoms may not even be related to low testosterone levels!Testosterone patches and injectable testosterone, do not yet have any convincing scientific proof to justify their use to increase production of or prevent a decline in testosterone levels. The long term effects of these potent drugs are still a mystery to endocrinologists and other specialists. Bottom line, stay away from the overly developed muscular guy at the gym offering, you know what.
3. Do you know where testosterone is made? Hmm…no fella, it doesn’t come from your brain. While the command to release testosterone came from your brain (hypothalamus), the hormone itself came from two other parts of your body. Ninety five percent of your testosterone comes from your testicles, and the remaining five percent comes from your adrenal glands. So it’s wise to take care of your testicles and adrenal glands huh?

If you engage in contact sports like rugby, hockey and martial arts, you should wear a cup to protect your nuts (a nut cup). I’m not talking about the nut cups used for decorating party treats. Being hit in that area can have negative consequences in the future. Trauma can certainly do some damage to your testicles which could affect their testosterone production. Oh, and let’s not forget the excruciating pain that occurs immediately after the hit…if you’re not wearing a protective nut cup.When it comes to your adrenal glands, managing your stress levels can go a long way to supporting their healthy functioning.
4. The basic building block of the hormone testosterone is cholesterol. Enter bacon and eggs. This essential discovery of yours just now is a good reason to eat those bacon and eggs. You don’t expect to have enough testosterone if you lack the raw materials, do you? You need cholesterol from your diet to make sufficient amounts of testosterone. Egg yolks, caviar, butter, liver, oysters and cheese are good sources of cholesterol. Also check out “The Fat Story” article. Other foods which are also known to have a positive effect on your good cholesterol (HDL) levels include the following:

a. Fatty fish like sardines, herring, mackerel and salmo
b. Ground flax seeds, green leafy vegetables, walnuts and coconut oil .

Make sure you get enough of these cholesterol-rich foods to help your body produce optimal levels of testosterone. On the other hand, eat less refined sugars and carbohydrates. White bread, pasta, sweetened beverages and white sugar products can lower your HDL levels and increase LDLs (bad cholesterol). Lastly, you also need to eat foods rich in essential fatty acids (DHA and EPA), magnesium, zinc and vitamins C, D and E. These nutrients help to boost good HDL cholesterol in your blood.

5. Be a gut-buster. You read this one right. Get rid of that spare tire around your waist. Underneath all that is the real danger of another kind of fat hidden from the bullying eyes of the public. It’s what they call visceral fat. It’s the type of fat providing unhealthy comfort to organs in your abdominal cavity. The fat cells secrete a platoon of still yet to be determined hormone-like substances which can affect your testosterone levels. Fat cells also contain an enzyme called aromatase (also known as oestrogen synthase). It’s an enzyme which converts testosterone and its cousins to the female hormone, oestrogen. An abundance of this enzyme can diminish your body’s testosterone stash and in addition, you can have secondary female characteristics. Gynaecomastia (man-boobs) is one of them. This should get you out there exercising and eating well! Exercise on a regular basis to prevent visceral fat accumulation or to slowly get rid of existing visceral fat. In addition, exercise also raises your HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
6. Some foods have natural anti-oestrogen effects. Examples include members of the cruciferous group of vegetables like cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy, kale, cauliflower and broccoli. Excess oestrogen (from fatty tissues) can increase your risk for developing hormone sensitive cancers like that of your prostate as well as lung and colon cancer. Estrogen overload also has a negative impact on free testosterone levels.These cruciferous vegetables contain a substance called indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which becomes activated in a wet environment (in your mouth when chewing). When this substance reaches the acidic environment of your stomach, it becomes diindolylmethane (DIM). DIM stimulates certain liver enzymes to increase production of beneficial oestrogens. In addition DIM supports healthy levels of free testosterone through its effects on estrogen metabolism.
7. Xenoestrogens are foreign oestrogens present in our environment. We get exposed to them from pesticides, plastics, fuels, non-organic meat (which is pumped with estrogenic drugs to fatten the animal), industrial wastes and other chemicals. Xenoestrogens increase fat deposition and the fat cells produce a lot of oestrogen which in turn disrupts normal hormone balance in the body.

So before you plead with your doctor for a testosterone prescription, why not try out some of these helpful ideas to improve your testosterone levels naturally.