When it comes to manipulating testosterone levels we tend to focus on the ‘usual suspects’. That means protein for instance, supplements and sleep. But what you probably didn’t know is that almost everything you do has some kind of impact on levels of free T, no matter how small. Some very surprising things in fact can actually drastically alter your levels and so it’s important that you think of those too when trying to encourage muscle growth and fat loss.
In this article, we will go over some of the more surprising things that may be reducing your testosterone so you can avoid them and ensure that everything you do is able to support and encourage healthy anabolism.
Myco-Estrogens
Myco-estrogens, like the better-known xeno-estrogens, are a substance found in mold and fungi which can reduce testosterone and increase estrogen. This means that eating that moldy bread can actually damage your gains, as well as just not being very appealing. Furthermore, it means that mushrooms can actually have an adverse effect on your muscle development despite being a good source of protein. Worse, myco-estrogens are also found in maize, barley, wheat, rice and sorghum. This is just one of the many reasons that a vegetarian diet can encourage low T.
Rice
Many people seem to think that rice actually improves testosterone but sadly this couldn’t be further from the truth. Rice is a very potent 5-a reductase enzyme blocker and seeing as 5-a reductase is used to convert testosterone into the more powerful DHT, that’s bad news for your body. In fact, it appears that rice is actually more effective at blocking testosterone than even drugs designed for that very purpose!
Mosquito Repellants
Mosquito repellants don’t just repel bugs – they also destroy your levels of testosterone. In the old days these products contained anti-androgens which would directly prevent the conversion of cholesterol into T. Today they no longer have this problem but now the issue is the chemical ‘chlorpyrifos’ which is converted to TCPY once it gets into the body. And TCPY is known to dramatically lower the amount of testosterone circulating in the body.
Licorice
Put down those Licorice Allsorts! Despite being healthy in several other ways, licorice is actually one of the worst things you can consume for your T levels. In one study it was found that just 0.5 grams of glycyrrhizic acid (found in licorice) a day was enough to almost halve levels of free T (1)!
Chlorine
Going for a swim might be a good form of cardio but it’s awful for your testosterone. That’s unfortunately due to a toxic halogen which drives halogen out of the body. In one study it was found that children who swam in chlorinated pools had lower testosterone the more regularly they visited the pool (2).
Of course, many swimmers have great physiques so don’t worry too much. Still, if you have the choice then you should always pick swimming in the sea of other natural waters!
That’s only the tip of the ice berg too. Turns out sunscreen, low calorie diets and even many medications can all lower testosterone. Then there’s all the things we know lower T as well to take into account… it’s a dangerous world out there for a bodybuilder!
Why Use Testosterone Supplements?
If you are concerned about increasing your testosterone levels naturally, one of the best options at hand is natural testosterone supplements. Some of the best supplements consist of ingredients such as Tribulus Terrestris, L-arginine, Long Jack, D-Aspartic Acid etc. and they can make your body enhance its own production of testosterone so that you can get better results from your workouts. They can be a big help in enhancing libido as well.
