The keto diet raises testosterone levels

Today it is known that every fourth man over 30 has low testosterone levels. Therefore, if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Decreased or absent sex drive
• Depression
• erectile dysfunction
• Low energy
• Poor memory and concentration
• Decreased sperm count
• Excess fat around your waist

Then they should not be dismissed, considering all this to be a normal part of aging. In particular, fat around the waist increases your risk of death by 2 times, even if you are of normal weight!

Your doctor may prescribe synthetic or bioidentical therapies to boost your testosterone levels, but you can also help yourself and naturally.

Dietary Fat Increases Sex Hormone Levels

There is another factor that influences testosterone levels: how much fat you eat. It turns out that low levels of dietary fat are linked to low testosterone levels.

In a small study of 30 men, a diet of only 25% dietary fat resulted in lower testosterone levels. But the condition was reversible once the participants returned to consuming at least 40% of their calories from fat.

Another study found that higher fat intake among a group of men resulted in a 13% increase in testosterone compared to those who ate low fat.

Essentially, fats increase testosterone levels because they provide the building blocks for hormones. But before you start consuming high-fat foods, there is one caveat:

The dietary fat studied came from saturated fatty acids found in coconuts, not polyunsaturated ones like walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Other keto-friendly fats that stimulate testosterone production include:

• Olives and olive oil
• Coconut and coconut oil
  
• MCT oil
  
• Avocado
• Butter from grass-fed animals
• Grass-fed meat
• Raw nuts (especially macadamia and almonds)

By increasing your intake of healthy fats, or better yet, sticking to a keto diet, you will be on your way to naturally increasing testosterone levels.

But since this is just one piece of the puzzle, you can combine it with the tips below to heighten the effect.

How to boost testosterone naturally

1. Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting can increase testosterone levels because this cycle of fasting and eating pushes your body to increase serum hormones such as leptin, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), insulin, melanocortins, and cholecystokinin.

When this happens, your body is able to more properly regulate testosterone, which can boost your sexual libido and potentially reverse the decline in testosterone that comes with age.

If you want to know more about intermittent fasting, be sure to check out this guide.

2. Remove sugar and fructose from the diet

In one study in mice and human cell cultures, researchers found that eating too much fructose and glucose (sugar) can turn off important genes that control testosterone.

Another study in men between the ages of 18 and 74 found that when participants ate 75 grams of sugar a day, testosterone levels dropped 25% within two hours of eating.

3. Reduce your intake of grains and carbohydrates

Don't be fooled into thinking that if you don't indulge in ice cream and other sweets, your sugar intake is minimal. Even the sugar in milk (lactose) is enough to add a whopping 12.8 grams of carbs per glass to your daily intake.

The problem with carbohydrates - even supposedly healthy, complex ones - is that they can raise blood sugar, increase insulin production, and lead to insulin resistance over time.

When you have high blood sugar and insulin levels for extended periods of time, testosterone levels can drop. It is even more pronounced and common in men with diabetes.

Fortunately, this situation can be prevented, and in some cases reversed, by eating a healthy diet - especially a ketogenic one. One study found that the keto diet increased insulin sensitivity by 75%.

4. Increase your intake of low-carb vegetables

Instead of cutting vegetables altogether, you should instead supplement it with low-calorie fiber-rich vegetables such as:

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Kohlrabi
• Deciduous greens such as spinach and bok choy

Research shows that, in addition to increasing testosterone, these foods have the ability to reduce the risk of cancer and chronic disease.

5. Train smart

You probably already know how important it is to exercise. But did you know there is a right and wrong way to train?

Researchers found that prolonged, vigorous periods of exercise decreased sex drive and testosterone levels in runners and endurance athletes. These types of exercise increase the hormone cortisol (aka stress hormone), which can lower your testosterone.

The same study found that after such a workout, it can take your body up to three days to return to normal.

Another study found that people who did not give their bodies enough time to recover between intense workouts also experienced a drop in testosterone levels.

Therefore, you should alternate your hour-long cardio with shorter workouts related to weight and complex movements, such as:

• Squats
• Deadlift
• Bench press
• Pull-ups
• Leg press
• Army press

These exercises target various muscles while increasing testosterone.

Another important thing is to increase the weight you use and decrease the reps to maximize your fat burning.

6. Reduce stress

The stress hormone cortisol sends signals to initiate and regulate certain processes in your body. But when there is too much of it, your body prevents testosterone from being used.

And if this happens every day, you completely stop producing testosterone and are more likely to experience low sex drive and impotence.

Several natural ways to reduce stress:

• Walking
• Yoga and meditation
• Camping (hiking, biking, etc.)
• Conversation with a trained psychotherapist

Another reason why you should control your stress levels is because it directly affects the quality of your sleep.

8. Get enough sleep

A good sleep (7-8 hours every day) can:

• Recharge your brain just like your phone battery
• Rebuild muscles
• Adjust emotions
• Boost your mood, improve memory, blood pressure and overall weight levels.

As for testosterone, just 1 week of poor sleep (less than 5 hours a day) can cause a 10-15% decrease in testosterone in healthy men.

8. Don't forget about vitamin D, minerals and herbs

Several vitamins, herbs and minerals act as natural testosterone boosters. This includes:

Vitamin D. Before buying an expensive vitamin D supplement, you should know that the best source is actually free: the sun.

Just 10 minutes in the sun without sunscreen is all it takes to recharge your vitamin D levels and potentially increase testosterone in your body.

Interchangeable amino acids. Research has shown that they can help:

• Reduce muscle pain caused by exercise
• Gain muscle mass
• Help in weight loss

Most importantly, amino acids help naturally increase testosterone levels naturally. But since your body cannot produce them on its own, you can get them from the following foods:

• Grass-fed meat
• Wild fish
• Eggs
• Almond

Zinc. Researchers have found that low zinc levels are associated with lower testosterone levels. Zinc also improves the immune system and helps your digestive enzymes break down nutrients in food.

To add more zinc to your keto lifestyle, eat the following foods:

• Oysters
• Red meat
• Domestic bird
• Seafood (especially lobster and crabs)

Ginger. In one study, infertile men consumed ginger, which led to an increase in testosterone levels by 17% and sperm count by 16%.

9. Lose excess weight