Jim GoetzChantea GoetzDr. Mike BrandonHow Do I Boost My Testosterone?Jim GoetzThere are ways to boost ones testosterone and ways not to. The most common ways individuals (mostly males) look to boost their testosterone; in actuality has no effect on boosting any testosterone but is phenomenal in lowering ones bank account. This is through supplementation. Before taking any supplement, if you are tested in any athletics, ensure you are well within the World Anti- Doping Association (WADA) regulations.If you are a teenager or individual in their 20's, your testosterone levels are already most likely super high. A secretagogue supplement purchased over the counter is not going to raise your levels anymore than they already are. The only thing that can happen if you increase testosterone levels when they are already super high is to shut down your body's own natural production and as a result, make you reliant on exogenous testosterone for the remainder of your life. It sounds fine now but when you are a 40 year old male whose physiology is that of a 90 year old- you may reconsider this as being a good idea.The hype of advertising for these supplements is insane. Know fact versus hype. There are a crapton of supplements on the market that make claims to boost ones testosterone. In reality these overhyped and over marketed supplements are garbage. They have inferior ingredients that fail to stimulate the natural production of testosterone.First lets do a brief overview on total testosterone levels to get a bit of an understanding on what is being looked at to be increased.Tightly bound testosterone- 2/3 of testosterone is bound to sex hormone binding globulin. The human body is incapable of utilizing this.Loosley bound testosterone- 1/3 of testosterone is bound to the protein, albumin. Some of this testosterone is able to be utilized but not all of it.Free testosterone- 1% to 4% of testosterone floats freely in the blood, able to bind to androgen receptors as the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts this free testosterone into hihydrotestosterone, which is a very potent androgen.Some nutritional supplements inhibit CYP19A1, which is an aromatase enzyme. An anti- aromatase actually can act as a testosterone booster in men as testosterone is converted to estradiol, which is then converted to estrogen. Yes, the more testosterone men have, the more estrogen they have and this goes for women as well. Now men actually do need estrogen (in lesser amounts than women). So when estradiol is low, testosterone is naturally increased. Therefore, if an individual were to lower their estradiol levels, testosterone will be increased. This is a negative feedback loop of hormones. However, in pre-menopausal women, as ovaries produce the majority of estrogen, aromatase inhibitors are less effective (but not ineffective) than in men.Some supplements that are supposed to increase testosterone act on the testicles. Others act on the hypothalamus in the brain. Those that act on the testicles could effect HPTA stimulation (causing testicular atrophy (or shrinkage). Other supplements acting on the hypothalamus cause symptoms of that some may call adrenal fatigue.The most boring ways to increase testosterone are quality sleep (and I do stress quality), moderate physical activity, and weight management. Individuals who stay up too late to watch a game while they rise early in the morning, work a desk job, have a little belly (dad bods or more) and fail to engage in moderate physical exertion for a minimum of three days per week at 30-45 minutes of actual movement, are destined for low testosterone levels and as a result, a lowered quality of life and perhaps lower life expectancy.Lowered testosterone levels have been attributed to lowered libidos, the development of metabolic syndrome- x, and depression (to name a few symptoms).Middle aged and older men have a natural decline in testosterone by 0.4% to 1.6% per year. Some experience lower than averag