Thanks to eating trends like the keto diet, fat is back in nutritional "fashion," but there's a legitimate reason men might want to add more healthy fats to their plates: those on a low-calorie diet and Fats can risk lowering your testosterone levels, especially if you are already a healthy weight. That's especially important for stamina lovers, who are already at risk for slightly lower levels of this important hormone.
The studio, which was published in The Journal of Urology, examined the relationship between popular diets and testosterone levels in 3.128 men, ages 18 to 80.
«We found that men who adhered to a fat-restricted diet had lower serum testosterone than men on a non-restricted diet.said lead investigator Jake Fantus.
Testosterone levels in men drop by 1 to 2 percent a year after age 40. Although some drop is natural, if levels drop too low, it can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, muscle loss, depression, erectile dysfunction, and low sex drive, among other health problems.
The normal range for testosterone for adults is 300 ng/dL to 1.000 ng/dL, according to the FDA. When levels drop below 300 ng/dL, they are considered deficient, according to the American Urological Association.
Being overweight increases the risk of low testosterone levels. Research shows that men who are more than 20% heavier than their ideal weight have 30% lower testosterone levels than lean men.
Exercise and weight loss, for those who are overweight, generally help increase testosterone levels. But the role of diet is less clear.
The aforementioned study was originally designed to examine the effects of four diets: low fat (<30%), low carbohydrate (<20 grams), Mediterranean (40% fat), and a non-restrictive diet, on testosterone levels. , but there were not enough men in the low-carb group to base the findings on, so that diet was not included.
The mean testosterone level of the men in the study was 435 ng/dL. Testosterone was markedly lower in men on the two restrictive diets: an average of 411 ng/dL for those on a low-fat diet and 413 ng/dL for those on a Mediterranean diet.
After the researchers adjusted the data for factors that can affect testosterone, including age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity and medical conditions, low-fat diet was significantly associated with reduced testosteronealthough the Mediterranean diet does not.
It is not yet clear to scientists how important these small differences in testosterone are in diets, and it is important to remember that Testosterone-boosting benefits of weight loss may outweigh the small decrease associated with a low-fat diet. However, if you're already active and not trying to lose weight, you might want to consider a more moderate-fat diet for hormonal health.