I’m not going to feel apologetic for being a man in our modern politically correct culture. Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I’ve caused all the world wars, and testosterone is not the cause of every evil.
You’re even made to feel responsible for the criminal that rapes someone because they tell you he did it because of testosterone – that it’s a man issue, not a criminal issue.
But don’t let those PC bureaucrats talk you out of being a man.
p>Don’t let them convince you that there’s something wrong with having testosterone pumping through your veins.
You need testosterone to be healthy. It’s more than just about your strength and performance.
You already know that testosterone helps keep your bones strong, gives you lean body mass – that male “V” shape – increases your energy, improves athletic performance, gives you your ability to attract women and to stay in control.
But it does even more than that. It’s not just what makes a man a man. Without it, not only are you not as manly, but you die early.
Recently six different studies, done in different parts of the world on different groups of men, all found the same thing:
The more testosterone you have, the less chance there is you will die of any cause.
- In a study completed a few months ago, researchers followed almost a thousand men with heart disease for seven years. They found that those with low testosterone were more than twice as likely to die as men with higher testosterone levels.1
- A 2009 study looked at men with diabetes for more than three years, and found that those with the lowest testosterone levels were also more than twice as likely to die… not from diabetes, but for any reason.2
- Another study done in Europe followed 11,606 men for nearly 10 years. They found that low testosterone meant there was a 41 percent greater chance of dying from any cause.3
- The University of California looked at 794 men over an average of 12 years. They found the men with low testosterone were 40 percent more likely to die than those with higher levels.4
- A study of older men in Seattle and published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that those with low testosterone were 28 times likelier to die.5
- And in a study on military veterans, researchers looked at 300 men over five years. Low testosterone upped the risk of death by 88 percent.6
It doesn’t matter how old you are, your body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, or what your blood sugar measurements are… none of those changed the results. In all the studies, testosterone was the biggest indicator of longer lifespan. Take a look at the chart below. For men with the lowest levels of testosterone, the survival rate drops off the table.
Today I’m going to show you how to give you what you really need to survive and stay a man by bringing your testosterone to where it should be.
But first, let me tell you how today’s world is attacking you, and trying to take away your manhood…
Warning: Modern Food Will Make You ‘Doughy”
Your ancient male ancestors were strong and proud. They were hunters, fisherman, builders and warriors.
Back then, you would have hunted and fought the way you were designed to. Your body would be lean and powerful, with the capacity to handle the sudden onset of acute stress.
And you would keep your body strong and active by eating the foods you were designed to eat. That means a high-protein, low-carb diet of red meat, wild fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and nuts.
This would also keep your hormones balanced so you would be energized and virile.
These male attributes – speed, power and virility – are all evolutionarily-designed responses to make you more survivable as a man. And nature gives you these traits through the male hormone testosterone.
But the physiology you have today came from a different world. In just the last few decades, the world has changed so fast that our evolutionary responses haven’t been able to keep up. Now the world we live in and our physiological reactions are mismatched.
One of the things that’s happened is that we’ve gotten away from a protein-based diet that boosts testosterone.
On top of that, instead of protein, you’re fed processed grains and fake foods like soy and flax that your body isn’t designed to eat.
And the packages this new food comes in, along with dozens of other products like shampoos and lotions, are loaded with chemicals that leak out into your body. Even your car that you sit in for hours every day has them.
These chemicals, and foods like soy, all have ingredients with one thing in common… they resemble estrogen.
Researchers have been slow to come around to the idea that these “estrogen-mimics” are having an effect on us humans. But I can tell you from 20 years of medical experience, excess amounts of estrogen in our environment are causing disastrous changes for both men and women. I see it in my patients almost every day.
In men, it causes the onset of feminine features. Once muscular “pecs” (chest muscles) turn into soft breasts. A “spare tire” forms around your middle and your risk of prostate cancer goes through the roof.
It affects your energy, too, making you feel slow and tired.
That’s because excess estrogen can lower a man’s reserve of testosterone – the hormone that makes a man feel like a man. It also causes an extra layer of fat under your skin. This subcutaneous fat hides muscle definition and makes your body appear “doughy.”
Politically correct medicine has named this testosterone imbalance “Andropause,” which literally means the end of being a man. Without enough testosterone, you can’t build muscle mass, create red blood cells, strengthen your bones or function sexually.
Don’t Let It Drop Off The Table
In addition to estrogen mimics suppressing testosterone, your natural testosterone level drops all by itself by 1-3 percent every year after the age of 20. By the time you’re 80, you’ll have lost between 50-80 percent of your testosterone.
Source: New Age Health Solutions For Men (www.newagehealthsolutions.com)
The sad thing is, most people who have their testosterone measured by a doctor are told they’re “in the normal range.” Modern labs claim that’s anywhere from 241-827 ng/dl.
The problem is, the reference levels are too low. These ranges aren’t set for men interested in having a virile, energetic quality of life. Those levels are set by looking at the middle 95 percent of the population who are all deficient as it is!
And according to one study, a majority of men have circulating testosterone levels 5–20 percent farther below those already-too-low reference levels.7
A testosterone level of 241 is not normal. I like to keep my male patients up near 800.
Let me show you how I do it.
Set Your Testosterone Free
Ninety-eight percent of your testosterone is bound to a protein called SHGB. That means only 2 percent of your testosterone is free to circulate around your body.
This free testosterone then joins with cells called androgen receptors and improves your desire, function, bone density, muscle mass and strength, adipose (fat) tissue distribution, mood, energy and psychological well-being.
But the estrogen-mimics in the environment cause you to increase the production of SHBG. This binds up some of that small amount of free testosterone and makes it inactive and unable to bind with the androgen receptors that are supposed to receive it.
And lower amounts of free testosterone can lead to:
- Chronic fatigue
- Lack of motivation or desire
- Poor memory and concentration
- Depression
- Increase in fat
- Loss of desire
The good news is, you’re not helpless against the modern world. You can avoid Andropause and keep your “manpower” if you focus on a few ways to increase your free testosterone.
Here are the 9 steps I use to naturally boost my patients’ “vitamin T”:
Step 1) Eat Red Meat.
Politically correct culture tells you red meat is bad, don’t eat it, it will kill you. It’s more likely that not eating it will kill you due to low testosterone. A study of vegans vs. omnivores measured each group’s testosterone and SHBG. The vegans had 23 percent higher SHBG, and 3 percent lower free testosterone.8 Red meat has saturated fat, which has a known correlation with higher testosterone, and zinc, which helps you produce testosterone.
The other advantage of eating red meat is B vitamins. Besides helping your body to make testosterone, B-complex vitamins help you absorb zinc. B vitamins are water soluble, which means you’ll find them in the meat of animal protein, instead of the fatty part. Some B vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables, but your best source is red meat. And for B12, red meat is your ONLY source. I recommend at least 40 mg of vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. You need 800 mcg of folic acid, and 100 mcg of B12.
Step 2) Eat Some Garlic.
In animal studies, garlic increased both testosterone levels, and increased hormonal production of testosterone. Garlic’s secret ingredient for boosting testosterone is called allicin. It breaks down quickly, so it’s tough to get a good amount from a supplement.
My favorite way to get garlic is to brew a bedtime elixir of four mashed garlic cloves steeped in eight ounces of hot water and flavored with the juice of a lemon.9 To ward off garlic’s tendency to make your breath smell “garlicky,” eat some neutralizing fennel seeds, like those served at Indian restaurants.
Step 3) Get More Zinc.
This trace element is one of the most important nutrients for men. Not only does it ensure optimum prostate health, it also helps you stay virile and active well into your advanced years. That’s because zinc play a role in the production of testosterone. Also, a large amount of zinc is concentrated in a pituitary gland in your brain and the pituitary gland plays a major role in your libido.
In a well-known study published in the journal The Lancet, researchers divided men into two groups. Half got a placebo, half got zinc. The researchers wrote: “Zinc strikingly improved potency in all patients and raised the testosterone to normal… Placebo did not improve sexual function in any patient.”10
My favorite way to get my zinc is by eating animal meats like pork, beef, liver and lamb. Oysters, watermelon and pumpkin seeds have a lot of zinc, too. I recommend you get 30 mg per day.
Step 4) Use The Herb Nettle.
Nettle is well known for blocking the enzyme aromatase which your body uses to synthesize estrogen.
But to me, the exciting thing about nettle is that it has its own compound (with the tongue-twisting name 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran) that can bind with SHBG. That means more of your free testosterone can flow through your blood, doing its good work.11 A dose of 140 mg per day of nettle will give you the effect you need.
Step 5) Take tribulus terrestris and fenugreek
Tribulus have steroidal saponins. These increase testosterone. In a study on primates, researchers gave the animals tribulus and increased their testosterone by 51 percent!12 You can take up to 500 mg of each.
Step 6) Get some muira puama.
It’s an herb extracted from a plant from South America that’s almost unknown to Americans. But in the Amazon jungle it’s used to boost libido. And several studies have shown it counters the effects of low testosterone. “Asthenia” is characterized by fatigue, loss of strength, or debility, all symptoms of a testosterone deficiency. In a study on asthenia, muira puama was effective for 100 percent of those taking it.13 I give my patients 350 mg per day.
Step 7) Break Down Excess Estrogen.
Diindolylmethane (DIM) is what’s called an indole. Those are the plant nutrients you get from eating cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustard greens. DIM is an indole that helps your body break down estrogen, improving your testosterone/estrogen ratio. And when you improve this ratio, you get the feeling of a testosterone boost. If you want to supplement, 100 mg a day is my recommendation.
Step 8) Help Your Body Regulate Testosterone.
Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is an amino acid that helps your brain and nervous system regulate your hormone levels, including testosterone. Almonds, bananas, walnuts, citrus fruit, spinach and broccoli are all GABA-friendly foods. If you would like to supplement, you don’t need much… 10 mg per day.
Step 9) Exercise With Intensity.
You might be surprised to know that exercise boosts testosterone, no matter what your age. In a study completed a few months ago, researchers looked at both younger and older men who did 21 weeks of heavy resistance training. They measured significant increases in lean body mass and testosterone levels.14
Try doing resistance training three to four days a week. All it takes is 10-20 minutes of your time, and it can be applied to my PACE program. Good old-fashioned exercises like the ones you used to do back in gym class are the best kind. Try mixing it up with different exercise – lunges, squats, squat thrusts, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and crunches.
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[1] Malkin, Chris J., Pugh, Peter J., Morris, Paul D., et al, “Low serum testosterone and increased mortality in men with coronary heart disease,” Heart 2010;96:1821-1825
[2] Carrero, Juan Jesús, et al, “Low Serum Testosterone Increases Mortality Risk among Male Dialysis Patients,” JASN March 2009; 20(3): 613-620
[3] Khaw, Kay-Tee, MBBChir, FRCP et al, “Endogenous Testosterone and Mortality Due to All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer in Men,” Circulation 2007;116:2694-2701
[4] Laughlin, Gail A., Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth, Bergstrom, Jacklyn, “Low Serum Testosterone and Mortality in Older Men,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2008;93(1):68-75
[5] Shores, MM, Moceri, VM, Gruenewald, DA, et al, “Low testosterone is associated with decreased function and increased mortality risk,” J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. Dec. 2004;52(12):2077-81
[6] Shores, Molly M., MD; Matsumoto, Alvin M., MD; Sloan, Kevin L. MD; et al, “Low Serum Testosterone and Mortality in Male Veterans,” Arch. Intern. Med. 2006;166:1660-1665
[7] Gooren, Louis J., “Androgens and male aging: current evidence of safety and efficacy,” Asian Journal of Andrology 2010;12:136–151
[8] Key, TJ, Roe, L, Thorogood, M, et al, “Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, calculated free testosterone, and oestradiol in male vegans and omnivores,” Br. J. Nutr. July 1990;64(1):111-9
[9] Jacobs, Brad, MD, MPH, Washington DC, quoted in “8 Essential Flu Fighters,” Natural Health Solutions Jan. 1, 2008
[10] Antoniou, Lucy D., Sudhakar, Telechery, Shalhoub Robert, Smith, CJ, “Reversal of Uraemic… by Zinc,” The Lancet October 1977; 310(8044): 895-898
[11] Schöttner, M, Gansser, D, Spiteller, G., “Interaction of lignans with human sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG),” Z Naturforsch C. Nov.-Dec. 1997;52(11-12):834-43
[12] Gauthaman, K., Ganesan, A.P., “The hormonal effects of Tribulus terrestris…” Phytomedicine Jan. 2008;15(1-2):44-54
[13] Waynberg, J. “Male Sexual Asthenia – Interest in a Traditional Plant-Derived Medication,” Ethnopharmacology Mar. 1995
[14] Ahtiainen, J.P., Hulmi, J.J., Kraemer, W.J., et al, “Heavy resistance exercise training and skeletal muscle androgen receptor expression in younger and older men,” Steroids Jan. 2011;76(1-2):183-92
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