Here at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, I use a few inexpensive, natural ways to safely and effectively raise my patients’ testosterone levels.
I’ve found one of the best solutions is an overlooked micronutrient you’ll never hear about from mainstream medicine.
I’m talking about the rare mineral, boron.
Boron arrived on our planet billions of years ago via cosmic dust and meteor fragments. On Earth, it exists only in compound form. Pure boron has been found only in meteorites. But this element is utterly essential to your health.
In the past, your ancestors got nutritional boron through their diet. But today, industrial farming methods, mineral-depleted soils and fertilizers that prevent plants from absorbing boron limit the amount you can get from the food you eat.
As a result, most American men only get about 10% of what they need.
Did you know?
Boron plays a crucial role in your body’s metabolism. And it’s key to the growth and maintenance of your bones. It’s also essential for:
- Wound healing;
- Brain function;
- Protection against oxidative stress and heavy-metal toxicity;
- Reducing inflammation;
- Maintaining healthy levels of antioxidants;
- Protecting against certain cancers, including prostate and lung cancers.
But the latest research backs up observations I’ve made in my clinic: Boron also increases your bioavailability of testosterone.
A recent study gave 13 men 6 mg of boron for two months. And at the end of the trial, their free testosterone levels had increased by 29.5%.i
Another study found after only one week of boron supplementation, men in the study group saw their:
- Free testosterone levels increase by 28%;
- Free estrogen levels had decrease by 39%.ii
I always recommend getting minerals like boron from your diet. And I always start with organic foods that have the highest levels:
- Avocados;
- Apricots;
- Apples;
- Legumes like red kidney beans;
- Almonds;
- Raisins.
But, even if you ate a variety of these foods daily, it’s still tough to get enough boron. As a minimum, I recommend 3 mg daily — and you’d need to eat six apples a day to hit that mark. That’s why I suggest you take 6 mg of a boron supplement daily.
You can find boron capsules online and at most health food stores. You can also find supplements that include boron among other important micronutrients.
To jump-start your libido, I also recommend:
- L-arginine and L-citrulline: Patients should adopt a diet rich in these biochemical cousins. They are amino acids, which team up to create nitric oxide, which boosts blood flow to give your lovemaking a real lift.iii iv
Great food sources include peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and walnuts, tuna, chicken, salmon, shrimp, eggs and watermelon.
If you’re not getting enough of these nutrients from your diet, supplement capsules are available online and from most health food stores. I recommend daily doses of 1,000 mg of L-citrulline and 6,000 mg of L-arginine.
- Beet juice: Romans drank beet juice two hours before engaging in sex. It also heightens your bedroom performance by raising nitric oxide levels. The beet’s ability to improve circulation has been documented in numerous studies.v Beet juice also contains boron.
Drink it straight or mix a teaspoon of beet powder into fruit juice. You can also get beet capsules online or from health food stores. I recommend 1,000 mg a day.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
iMiljkovic et al. Fructo Borate Complex. BioImmersion, Inc. 2006.
iiNaghii, MR, Mofid M, Asgari AR, Hedayati M, Daneshpour MS. Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011;25(1)54-58.
iiiBoger, R.H., et al. “Restoring vascular nitric oxide formation by L-arginine improves the symptoms of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease.” J Am Coll Cardiol. 1998 Nov;32(5):1336-44.
ivCormio L et al. “Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction.” Urology, 2011 Jan; 77(1): 119-22
vHobbs, D.A., et al.”Acute ingestion of beetroot bread increases endothelium-independent vasodilation and lowers diastolic blood pressure in healthy men: A randomized controlled trial.” J Nutr. 2013 Sep;143(9):1399-405. doi: 10.3945/jn.113.175778. Epub 2013 Jul 24.