Testosterone – The power hormone

As the title suggests, testosterone is a powerful hormone on many levels. It is known as the male hormone (even though women produce it as well) and performs all sorts of functions in your body. Testosterone has built a pretty bad name for itself over the last 50 years due to its association to bodybuilding and steroids. I will attempt to set the record straight and teach you the importance of natural levels of testosterone and how low levels often cause tiredness, fat gain, energy drops and ill health.

For men, 90 – 95% of testosterone is produced in the testes. For women, half is produced in the ovaries and the other half by the adrenal glands. Some of the many functions of testosterone include:

• The production of proteins which forms muscle
• It improves oxygen uptake
• It reduces stress hormones including cortisol and insulin
• It controls blood sugar levels
• It regulates cholesterol
• It draws calcium into bones
• It helps keep a powerful immune system
• It protects your brain against Alzheimer’s disease
• It contributes towards a healthy metabolism and allows you to be lean

If your goal is to drop body fat, keep a good shape and be healthy, it is in your interest that your natural levels of testosterone are kept high. This can be achieved by regular resistance training, consuming organic meats and fish, high levels of zinc in your diet, keeping a healthy digestive track, a healthy liver and consuming spices and herbs on a daily basis. These are some of the key principles we teach our clients at the start of a training programme.

If you have problems shifting fat, it may be related to testosterone. I mentioned at the start of this article about women producing small amounts of testosterone. You may be surprised to hear that men produce a small amount of oestrogen which derives from our natural testosterone stores. Your testosterone / oestrogen balance is vital when working towards a fat loss goal. Here’s why…

In our bodies we have an enzyme called aromatase which converts a small amount of testosterone into oestrogen. This is a healthy and natural process, however as we get older and if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, levels of aromatase increase resulting in men becoming overestrogenised. Excessive levels of oestrogen have the following effect on the male body:

• Reduction of testosterone production
• Increased production of aromatase
• Fat gain
• Narrowing of the coronary arteries
• Reduced sperm count
• Reduced sex drive

The testosterone / oestrogen balance can easily snow ball out of control increasing your body fat levels due to the increase of aromatase and the side effects that go with it. Fat cells contain aromatase which doesn’t help the situation at all. So the more body fat you have, the more aromatase you produce which we know reduces testosterone. We often recommend zinc to our clients because zinc helps to naturally reduce levels of aromatase and can help with the fat loss process.

If your goal is to increase muscle mass, it is very important that you get lean first because of aromatase levels in fat stores. To build muscle, you need high levels of testosterone, it will be easier to build size if you are lean because your natural levels of aromatase and oestrogen will be low. There are some key indicators to suggest that natural levels of testosterone may be low. Some of which include, constant tiredness, a lack of sex drive, a lack of erection in the morning, body fat around the triceps, chest and legs. Within the BioSignature assessment at the start of your programme, we pay close attention to where your body fat is distributed. It can give accurate indication of levels of testosterone by where your fat is stored.

Everything mentioned so far has been about how to increase your natural levels of testosterone and the fat loss / health benefits that go with it, all of which are essential to overall health. Testosterone has come under fire because of Body builders who inject themselves with artificial testosterone to increase their muscle mass. This comes with a library of risks and dangers and I would never advocate the use of steroids unless it is for medical use.

To conclude, it is very important to maintain a healthy level of natural testosterone within your body. By applying some of the main principles discussed at the start of the article, you can expect to have more energy, improve your health and your body’s natural ability to shift fat.

Related content:

1. Insulin – The fat storage hormone
2. Oestrogen – Friend or foe?
3. Supplements and fat loss
4. Body composition trends