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A 1996 study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine followed three groups of men. One group was given testosterone and prescribed a strength training program, one group was given testosterone and told not to exercise and one group was just given a training program without testosterone. It was no surprise that the group which exercised on testosterone gained the most muscle and lost the most fat, but the group which took testosterone without exercise actually had greater improvement in muscle and fat composition than the group which trained without it. You can’t build muscle without it!
Causes & Development
Some causes of low testosterone levels include congenital problems (such as deficiencies of male hormones and rare malformation syndromes) and acquired problems that include aging, chronic illness, drugs, starvation, stress, head trauma, infections, cancers, surgeries, alcoholism, removal of or trauma to the testicles, and infection or twisting of the testicles in their sac. In addition, certain drugs compete with testosterone in the body.
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Signs, symptoms & indicators of Low Male Testosterone Level:
Conditions that suggest Low Male Testosterone Level: | | | | | Circulation |  Coronary Disease / Heart Attack | Researchers at Columbia University Medical School studied 55 men undergoing X-ray exams of their arteries and found that those with a lower testosterone level had higher degrees of heart disease (blockage of the coronary arteries). This study also found that the protective HDL cholesterol levels were higher in men with higher testosterone levels.
Low testosterone is linked to hypertension, obesity, atherosclerosis and increased waist-to-hip ratio - all of these being heart attack risk factors. Administration of testosterone to men has been reported to decrease the risk factors for heart attack. |
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Hormones |
 Low Sex Drive
Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance| | Testosterone is converted into estrogen naturally. When this conversion is overactive the result is too little testosterone and too much estrogen. High levels of estrogen also trick the brain into thinking that enough testosterone is being produced, thereby reducing the natural production of testosterone. |
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Immunity |
HIV/AIDS| | An estimated 45% of men with untreated AIDS and 25% of asymptomatic, untreated HIV-infected men experience low testosterone levels. Both men and women may be negatively affected by testosterone deficiency. |
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Mental |
Depression |
Musculo-Skeletal |
Osteoporosis - Osteopenia| | Some 30% of men with spinal osteoporosis have long-standing testosterone deficiency, and one-third of men with testosterone deficiency have subnormal bone density that puts them at risk of fractures. |
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Nutrients |
Zinc Requirement| | (This relationship of testosterone levels to zinc status does not apply to women.)
Studies support the use of zinc supplementation in the treatment of low sperm count especially in the presence of low testosterone levels. Both sperm count and testosterone levels rose in men with initially low testosterone levels. Zinc status should be evaluated in men with decreased serum testosterone levels. [Nutrition Report, September-October, 1996;14(7): p.52] |
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Uro-Genital |
Andropause/Male Menopause |
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Risk factors for Low Male Testosterone Level:
Low Male Testosterone Level suggests the following may be present: | | | | | Immunity |  HIV/AIDS| | An estimated 45% of men with untreated AIDS and 25% of asymptomatic, untreated HIV-infected men experience low testosterone levels. Both men and women may be negatively affected by testosterone deficiency. |
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Low Male Testosterone Level can lead to:
Recommendations and treatments for Low Male Testosterone Level: | | | | | Botanical |  Tribulus| | In patients with below-normal serum testosterone levels, physiological levels were reached after treatment with Tribulus. Amongst patients with normal initial levels, the testosterone level was not significantly changed after treatment. |
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Diet |
 High/Increased Fat Diet |
Extract |
DIM (di-indolmethane)/I3C (Indole-3-Carbinol)| | Clinical studies using testosterone injections, creams, or patches have often failed to provide a long-lasting, libido-enhancing effect in aging men. This is because testosterone can be converted to estrogen, which is then taken up by testosterone receptor sites in cells throughout the body. When an estrogen molecule occupies a testosterone receptor site on a cell membrane, it blocks the ability of serum testosterone to induce a healthy hormonal signal. It does not matter how much serum free testosterone is available if excess estrogen is competing for the same cellular receptor sites.
Aromatization is the process of converting testosterone to estrogens. This process increases with age. Aromatase blockers such as DIM and Chrysin can reduce estrogen levels and enhance testosterone levels. If these fail to increase free testosterone and lower excess estradiol, then consider asking your doctor to prescribe the potent aromatase inhibiting drug Arimidex (anastrozole) in the very low dose of 0.5mg, twice per week. Arimidex reduced estradiol by approximately 70% within 24 hours and by approximately 80% after 14 days of daily use.
The usual dose range of DIM for men is 200-400mg per day taken with food. For men involved in a plan of muscular development or fat loss, the dose of bioavailable DIM should be increased to 400-500mg per day. |
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Hormone |
Testosterone| | The original and primary use of testosterone is for the treatment of males who have too little or no natural endogenous testosterone production: males with hypogonadism. This hormone replacement therapy helps to maintain serum testosterone levels in the normal range. |
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Lab Tests/Rule-Outs |
Test for Hormones
Testosterone Levels, Test| | Unfortunately, there is no general agreement on the threshold of testosterone value below which a man would be considered hypogonadal. In the United States, levels below 200 to 300 pmol/l from a morning sample are generally considered low. |
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KEY | | Weak or unproven link | | | Strong or generally accepted link | | | Proven definite or direct link |  | | Weakly counter-indicative |  | | Strongly counter-indicative |  | | Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. An immune system deficiency disorder that suddenly alters the body's ability to defend itself. The AIDS virus invades the T4 helper/inducer lymphocytes and multiplies, causing a breakdown in the body's immune system, eventually leading to overwhelming infection and/or cancer, with ultimate death.
Arterial (Arteries, Artery)
Blood that leaves the heart. When it leaves the right ventricle, it is venous blood; and when it leaves the left ventricle, through the aorta, it is fresh and oxygenated. After it has passed out to the capillaries and started to return, it is venous blood.
Asymptomatic
Not showing symptoms.
Atherosclerosis
Common form of arteriosclerosis associated with the formation of atheromas which are deposits of yellow plaques containing cholesterol, lipids, and lipophages within the intima and inner media of arteries. This results in a narrowing of the arteries, which reduces the blood and oxygen flow to the heart and brain as well as to other parts of the body and can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or loss of function or gangrene of other tissues.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance manufactured in the liver and found in all tissues, it facilitates the transport and absorption of fatty acids. In foods, only animal products contain cholesterol. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Endogenous
From within the body, either a native function or the product of the extended colony. Normal flora in the colon are considered endogenous.
Estrogen (Oestrogen)
One of the female sex hormones produced by the ovaries.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Also known as "good" cholesterol, HDLs are large, dense, protein-fat particles that circulate in the blood picking up already used and unused cholesterol and taking them back to the liver as part of a recycling process. Higher levels of HDLs are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease because the cholesterol is cleared more readily from the blood.
Hormones (Hormone)
Chemical substances secreted by a variety of body organs that are carried by the bloodstream and usually influence cells some distance from the source of production. Hormones signal certain enzymes to perform their functions and, in this way, regulate such body functions as blood sugar levels, insulin levels, the menstrual cycle, and growth. These can be prescription, over-the-counter, synthetic or natural agents. Examples include adrenal hormones such as corticosteroids and aldosterone; glucagon, growth hormone, insulin, testosterone, estrogens, progestins, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, and thyroid hormones such as thyroxine and calcitonin.
Hypertension
High blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure because it adds to the workload of the heart, causing it to enlarge and, over time, to weaken; in addition, it may damage the walls of the arteries.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
mol (mmol, nmol, pmol, umol)
Mole. The amount of a substance that contains as many atoms, molecules, ions, or other elementary units as the number of atoms in 0.012 kilograms of carbon 12. The number is 6.0225 × 10^23, or Avogadro's number. Also called gram molecule.
mmol: millimole: 0.001 or one thousandth of a mole.
umol: micromole: 0.000001 or one millionth of a mole.
nmol: nanomole: 0.000000001 or one billionth of a mole.
pmol: picomole: 0.000000000001 or one trillionth of a mole.
Osteoporosis
A disease in which bone tissue becomes porous and brittle. The disease primarily affects postmenopausal women.
Serum
The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.
Testicles (Testicle, Testicular)
Egg-shaped sex glands in the scrotum that secrete male hormones such as testosterone, and produce sperm.
Testosterone
The principal male sex hormone that induces and maintains the changes that take place in males at puberty. In men, the testicles continue to produce testosterone throughout life, though there is some decline with age. A naturally occurring androgenic hormone.
X-rays (X-ray)
High-energy radiation used to take pictures of areas inside the body.
Zinc
An essential trace mineral. The functions of zinc are enzymatic. There are over 70 metalloenzymes known to require zinc for their functions. The main biochemicals in which zinc has been found to be necessary include: enzymes and enzymatic function, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. Zinc is a constituent of insulin and male reproductive fluid. Zinc is necessary for the proper metabolism of alcohol, to get rid of the lactic acid that builds up in working muscles and to transfer it to the lungs. Zinc is involved in the health of the immune system, assists vitamin A utilization and is involved in the formation of bone and teeth.
Last updated: May 11, 2008
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