Art of Manliness

Key Takeaways 

• Low testosterone is often best treated if 1) you have symptoms and 2) have a testosterone level below 400
• Testosterone levels can vary depending on the quality of your recent sleep and diet 
• Symptoms of low testosterone: depression, anxiety, low libido, erectile dysfunction, low sperm production
• People who are significantly hypogonadal for a long time are at a much higher risk for osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disease, cardiovascular disease, and others 
• Metabolic syndrome is the most common cause of low testosterone
• Obstructive sleep apnea is the second most common cause of low T
• For most men, an optimal testosterone number is between 500 and as high as you can go naturally
• How to improve T: get better and more sleep, improve your diet, manage stress, drink less alcohol, etc. 
  • Improving these behaviors will make you more insulin sensitive (which is a good thing) 
• Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is an option when the benefits of increasing T outweigh the risks of remaining at low levels of T, and when the patient understands the risks and the benefits of the therapy
• Supplements mentioned by Dr. Kelly Gillett for testosterone optimization:Creatine,L-Carnitine, Calcium D-Glucarate, andTongkat Ali 

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

When men think about optimizing their hormones, they tend only to think about raising their testosterone. But while increasing T can be important, an ideal health profile also means having testosterone that's in balance with your other hormones as well.

Today on the show, Dr. Kyle Gillett joins me to discuss both of those prongs of all-around hormone optimization. We start with a quick overview of the different hormones that affect male health. We then get into what qualifies as low testosterone and how to accurately test yours. We also discuss what causes low testosterone in individual men, and how its decline in the general male population may be linked to both birth control and the world wars. In the second half of our conversation, we discuss how to both raise testosterone and get rid of excess estrogen, including the use of some effective supplements you may never have heard of. We then get into the risks and benefits of taking TRT, before ending our discussion with what young men can do to prepare for a lifetime of optimal T and hormonal health.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM series on testosterone, including How I Doubled My Testosterone Levels Naturally
• AoM Podcast #761: How Testosterone Makes Men, Men
• AoM Podcast #878: The Fitness Supplements That Actually Work 

Connect With Dr. Kyle Gillett

• Kyle on IG
• Gillett Health Podcast on Spotify and Apple
• Gillett Health on YouTube
• Gillett Health website