An unfortunate reality for middle-aged men is that from about 30, T-levels start to reduce by about 1% per year. And low testosterone levels can become a significant problem for older men.
In extreme cases, it might require testosterone therapy through medication, but there are plenty of things you can do to deal with testosterone deficiency naturally.
Before you start blindly looking for magic pills and potions, let me show you what our dietitian recommends for an age-related decline in testosterone.
Quick Summary
- To boost testosterone levels in older men, exercise daily, reduce your stress levels, eat a healthy diet, get enough Vitamin D, boost your zinc intake, and get enough sleep.
- Taking natural testosterone boosters, or supplements can also boost your testosterone levels.
- Avoid the following things if you have low testosterone levels; alcohol, highly processed junk food, and excessive sugar.
7 Ways Older Men Can Boost Testosterone
Here are the main things you should look at to deal with low testosterone levels.
1 - Exercise Daily
Many men end up in a vicious circle of low testosterone, resulting in low fitness and energy levels. As a result, they exercise less often, making it impossible to maintain a healthy weight.
And what happens then?
The more weight you carry around, the lower it drives your T-levels. It’s a vicious circle, and the most important thing you can do for your health is to break that circle with regular exercise.
Start by going for a 30 to 40-minute walk every day if your fitness levels are very low. Then gradually introduce high-intensity interval training so that you get to at least three days a week of quality aerobic exercise.
2 - Reduce Your Stress Levels
Many people don’t realize that the sex hormone testosterone and the stress hormone cortisol significantly influence each other [1].
It’s something that medical testosterone therapy has to monitor, but if you can naturally reduce the amount of stress you’re under, then you could increase testosterone levels quite a bit.
Remove environmental stresses before they cause even more damage, and start using any of the countless mindfulness and meditation apps available.
3 - Improve Your Diet
One thing most men with very low testosterone levels tend to have a problem with is a bad diet. I’ll show you some common mistakes later on, but you have to make sure that you don’t have an excessive calorie intake and that the food you eat is healthy.
Cut out all the processed and junk food and introduce more fresh vegetables and fruit. And use an app like Noom to get a better understanding of how much you should be eating.
4 - Top Up Your Sunshine Vitamin D
Vitamin D supplementation should be a high priority for everyone as it’s an important vitamin for immune health and testosterone.
If you get enough sun exposure (about 20 minutes without sunscreen), then it’s less likely that you’ll be deficient.
But there is a high risk of deficiency in the U.S., with studies showing up to 60% of elderly people may be at risk [2].
It’s also important to keep in mind that testosterone therapy won’t solve this problem and the overall health benefits are significant.
5 - Boost Your Zinc Intake
Zinc deficiency is another major contributor to low testosterone levels. This micronutrient is one of the building blocks of the testosterone hormone, and if you don't supply enough of it, then your body will hit a bottleneck.
Zinc is so important that we generally don’t recommend any testosterone boosters that don’t contain it.
It’s also important to know that testosterone therapy doesn’t address this deficiency.
6 - Get At Least 8 Hours Of Sleep
Sleep is another important factor when it comes to boosting testosterone levels naturally.
And it’s not the odd nap during the day that you need to focus on.
Aim to get at least 8 hours of quality sleep during the night to allow your body to promote testosterone production.
This will also help your body produce more muscle mass and bone mass through normal regenerative processes.
Related: What Is the Connection Between Sleep and Testosterone?
7 - Take A Natural Testosterone Booster
There are quite a few different herbs, minerals, and vitamins that you need to counteract the effects of normal aging.
Here's our article on the best testosterone boosting herbs.
And while you could come up with your own blends that affect testosterone levels, it’s much easier to take some testosterone supplements.
It’s the best thing to do before considering testosterone therapy. In our experience, they have helped many of our clients with losing weight, improved mood and concentration, and there’s the added bonus of boosted sexual function and sperm production.
Related: Does Testosterone Boost Heart Rate?
3 Things To Avoid With Low Testosterone
Our dietitian pointed out three serious mistakes that could impact your testosterone levels.
1 - Regular Alcohol Intake
Regular alcohol consumption may have a significant testosterone level impact. An occasional beer or glass of wine is going to be fine, but daily and excessive drinking should never be part of a healthy diet.
It’s also a contributing factor for erectile dysfunction.
2 - Highly Processed Junk Food
There’s a reason they call it junk food, and it all comes down to the fact that highly processed foods impact a lot more than your weight and heart health.
One study showed that people on a heavy junk food diet had a 25% lower testosterone level [3].
So, track your food intake with an app like Noom and see if there are some easy hits to stimulate testosterone production naturally.
3 - Excessive Sugar
The UK's diabetes organization has published findings that excessive sugar intake leads to decreasing testosterone levels of more than 25% [4]. With a combination of sugar-induced fat storage and low T-levels, you can set yourself up for a disaster.
If you keep eating sugar, testosterone therapy might have limited effects on male hypogonadism because sugar reduces testosterone levels.
“Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have found that glucose ingestion was associated with a significant decrease in the male hormone testosterone.”
- Diabetes.co.uk
FAQs
Do Older Men Have Lower Testosterone Levels?
Yes, older men generally have lower testosterone levels. This is part of normal aging, and from age 30, men tend to produce about 1% less testosterone each year. In extreme circumstances, this may require testosterone replacement therapy to solve.
What Is Normal Testosterone for a 70-Year-Old Male?
A normal testosterone level for a 70-year-old male is about 300 to 350 ng/dl. If you’re significantly below this level, then you may need to consider talking to your doctor about testosterone therapy.
Are You Going to Try These Testosterone Boosting Methods?
While testosterone replacement therapy is something that many men need to consider, this is always something you should discuss with a doctor and not rely on an online resource to provide medical advice.
However, there are natural ways to boost testosterone and counteract male hypogonadism.
Follow the above tips and check out our recommended supplements to see how we've been able to help our clients.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880087
- https://www.medscape.com/answers/128762-54281/what-is-the-prevalence-of-vitamin-d-deficiency-in-the-us
- https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2019/10/14/fast-food-leads-to-slow-testosterone
- https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2016/sep/men-experience-an-abrupt-decrease-in-testosterone-levels-after-sugar-intake,-study-finds-99746064.html
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