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- While taking supplemental testosterone may enhance muscle mass and athletic performance, studies have shown that athletes don\u2019t necessarily have naturally higher testosterone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- There\u2019s no evidence that a meat-heavy diet \u2014 or eating lots of soy \u2014 will have a positive or negative effect on testosterone levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Testosterone is important for sperm production, but low levels are sufficient for healthy male fertility. Taking supplemental testosterone can have a detrimental impact on sperm production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Myth: Athletes have higher testosterone levels, and testosterone improves athletic performance.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Testosterone is linked to higher muscle mass, strength, and endurance, along with lower body fat. This leads to the idea that athletes likely have more testosterone and that higher testosterone improves athletic performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTruth: The relationship between testosterone and athletic performance is complex.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true that taking supplemental testosterone may enhance athletic performance.1<\/sup> That\u2019s why taking testosterone and testosterone-boosting medications like Clomid<\/a> is typically banned for professional athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, when it comes to natural testosterone levels, the correlation is less clear. While more research is needed, so far, there\u2019s little evidence that testosterone is higher among athletes. A study from 2018 found that, among 689 Olympic athletes, 25.4% of the men in 12 different sports actually had low<\/em> testosterone concentrations.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s possible that intense training played a role in lowering the athletes\u2019 testosterone levels. Studies have found that certain types of exercise, like strength training, tend to increase testosterone levels. On the other hand, endurance training \u2014 think distance running \u2014 and cycling tend to lower testosterone levels.3\u20137 <\/sup> (That doesn\u2019t mean aerobic exercise is bad for you; it has many benefits for our cardiovascular systems and overall health.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers in the 2018 study also hypothesized that past use of steroids or the athletes\u2019 varied ages may have played a role in the result. Anabolic steroids lower male fertility<\/a> and may impact long-term testosterone levels, while testosterone naturally decreases with age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does having higher natural testosterone levels give athletes an advantage? It\u2019s unclear. A 2011 study examined testosterone concentrations in the saliva of eight professional male athletes.8 <\/sup>The study found no correlation between testosterone levels and the athletes\u2019 performance. Another study in 2017 found no pattern between performance and testosterone levels among male track and field elite athletes.9<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
With many variables at play in this area, additional research is needed to understand the role of testosterone in male athletic performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: Low testosterone causes infertility.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Testosterone is important for sperm production, so it makes sense to think that low testosterone would lead to infertility. However, that\u2019s not quite how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Truth: Even people with low testosterone can produce healthy sperm.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Even if testing reveals low levels of testosterone in your blood, your body may still have adequate amounts of the hormone for sperm production. That\u2019s because testosterone levels in the testicles are 25 to 125-fold higher than in the blood.10<\/sup> While low testosterone is typically diagnosed at 300 ng\/dL, one study found that there was no significant impact on semen parameters until testosterone levels dropped below 264 ng\/dL.11<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
While testosterone plays a critical role in spermatogenesis (sperm production), it\u2019s only one of several hormones involved in male fertility<\/a>. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are also essential for stimulating sperm production as well as controlling testosterone production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A disruption to this hormonal balance can affect fertility. That\u2019s why increasing your testosterone levels with testosterone replacement therapy can actually cause infertility \u2014 more on this below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true that low testosterone can still affect your fertility in other ways. The condition, known as hypogonadism, can cause erectile dysfunction and low sex drive. If you\u2019re experiencing these issues and trying to conceive a child, erectile dysfunction medications or fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) may help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about <\/em>trying to conceive with low testosterone<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: Eating meat can improve testosterone levels, while eating soy can decrease testosterone.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Do a quick online search and you\u2019ll come across tons of articles on the effect of diet on testosterone levels. A common recommendation is to eat more meat \u2014 or even try a carnivore diet for boosting testosterone<\/a> \u2014 while cutting back on soy. But is this advice backed by science?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Truth: Evidence around diet and testosterone is very inconclusive.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The truth is that we don\u2019t fully understand how diet affects testosterone<\/a> levels. While there\u2019s some research, it\u2019s inconsistent and inconclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, one study found that the keto diet \u2014 which is heavily focused on eating fats and proteins while cutting carbs \u2014 may lead to increased testosterone levels, supporting the idea that eating meat might boost testosterone levels.12<\/sup> But another study showed that testosterone levels decreased by 11% in the group eating a keto diet compared to a western diet (though the authors noted that that result was unexpected).13<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the keto diet, the role of meat itself in boosting testosterone levels remains unclear. One study found that a pro-inflammatory diet \u2014 typically including foods like red and processed meat, sugar, and refined carbohydrates \u2014 was associated with lower average total testosterone levels and an increased risk of testosterone deficiency.14<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
One study looked at 189 young men and compared their dietary intake, categorized by processed red meats (like burgers and hot dogs), unprocessed red meats, organ meats, poultry, and fish.15<\/sup> A similar study looked at dietary patterns among 206 young men in Spain.16<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In both studies, those who consumed the most meat did not have higher testosterone levels than those in the lowest quartile of meat consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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