Hey everyone! In this video, we're talking about seven reasons for why someone might
have low testosterone level. So we're going to talk about seven causes of low testosterone,
and we're also going to talk about ways we can increase testosterone levels. So one of the
largest contributors to low testosterone levels is the chemical bisphenol A. Now bisphenol A is found
in polycarbonate plastics, so an example would be plastic water bottles. So studies have shown
that bisphenol A or BPA lowers testosterone levels in men, and it also lowers the levels of another
androgen, known as androstenidione. And it's also been shown that men that go to fertility clinics
nearly 90 percent have bisphenol A or BPA in their urine. So bisphenol A is considered one of the
largest contributors to low testosterone in men. So the second reason for low testosterone levels
is being overweight or obese, and the reason is is because if an individual has more adipose
tissue or more fat the adipose tissue contains an enzyme known as aromatase, and aromatase is
actually an enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen. So we actually reduce our testosterone
levels by having more of this enzyme around. Now there's also the issue with diabetes. Now if we're
overweight or obese, it increases our risk of diabetes, and diabetes has also been shown to
reduce testosterone levels. The third reason for low testosterone levels is reduced sleep.
So reduced sleep leads to increased cortisol levels (or another stress hormone cortisone),
and it also lowers morning testosterone levels. And in particular, studies have shown that
reducing one's sleep in the second half of the night (so if we wake up earlier than normal),
our testosterone levels are lower than if we were to sacrifice our sleep in first half of the night
or when we first go to bed. If we were to stay up later it is actually not as bad as if we were
to get up early - so that's another reason for why we might have low testosterone levels. Now
the fourth reason for low testosterone levels is dietary factors now there are certain things
in our diet that can actually reduce testosterone levels, and there are certain things that we need
to get from our diet such as vitamins and minerals that are required for testosterone production. Now
one thing that someone may eat that can actually reduce testosterone levels is soy protein or soy
foods. Now it's been shown that soy is similar in structure to estrogen and this can lead to
suppressed levels of testosterone, and as I mentioned before, other things are required in our
diet to produce testosterone, if we have a diet that's very low in fat this can lead to reduced
testosterone levels, also a deficiency in the mineral zinc also reduces testosterone levels, and
this is because zinc is important in production of testosterone, so if we have a deficiency in zinc
we will have lower testosterone levels. And also any deficiency in vitamins E and C also can reduce
testosterone levels, and this is because vitamins E and C actually help maintain zinc levels. The
fifth reason for low testosterone levels is stress and this is again because of increased cortisol
levels. So again as we mentioned before cortisol is a stress hormone and in fact increased cortisol
levels act on the brain to increase levels of the hormone gonadotropin inhibiting hormone - this
leads to reduced testosterone levels - it reduces testosterone production so stress lowers
testosterone levels. The sixth reason for low testosterone levels is alcohol consumption, and
this is especially important with the consumption of beer - now hops in beer are estrogenic, so
again if we have something that's estrogenic, it's going to lead to reduced levels of testosterone.
And the seventh reason for a low testosterone level is asexuality. Now the low testosterone
levels actually can lead to a lower desire for sex or a lower libido, and lower libidos can actually
lead to lower testosterone levels - so it's a vicious circle of cause and effect. So what are
10 ways to increase testosterone levels? Well one of them is to avoid the use of plastics or
avoid drinking out of plastic bottles - so instead you should try to drink from a glass or stainless
steel. A second way to increase testosterone levels is to avoid eating soy products so
avoid eating soy protein, avoid drinking soy milk because again soy is estrogenic. The next thing
we can do to increase testosterone levels is to limit consumption of alcohol, and in particular
avoid drinking beer because of the hops. Now it's better to limit consumption of alcohol but if
you're going to drink alcohol it's suggested that vodka is a better alternative to beer, so limited
consumption of vodka may be okay now. Also a fifth way of increasing testosterone levels is to sleep
in a dark room for at least eight hours per night, so again if we have a reduced amount of sleep per
night, we are going to increase cortisol levels, and then you're going to reduce your testosterone
levels, so it's important to get a good night's sleep. The next thing we can do is we can reduce
stress through different types of relaxation so listen to music, doing yoga, doing meditation,
these can all reduce stress they can all help to increase testosterone levels. The seventh thing
we can do is we can lose weight - so remember that adipose tissue or fat contains aromatase enzymes,
so the more fat we have the more aromatase enzyme we have, and remember that aromatase converts
testosterone to estrogen, so you're going to lead to lower levels of testosterone. Another thing we
can do is we can increase our consumption of zinc, and zinc can come from a variety of sources - some
of the highest concentrations of zinc occur in oysters, you can also get zinc from beef,
from pork, from poultry but if you are wanting to get away from meat you can have other plant-based
alternatives such as beans and nuts, things like that can also increase your zinc they all contain
a good amount of zinc. Another thing we can do is we can increase consumption of healthy fats,
so remember that low-fat diets can lead to reduced testosterone levels and I put emphasis on healthy
fats - so healthy fats like fish oil, plant oils, like olive oil and coconut oil are good
sources of healthy fats. And the last thing we can do is we can have a healthy sex life
and all of these things can lead to increased levels of testosterone and can ultimately lead
to a healthier, more energetic life for many men that may suffer from low testosterone levels. So
anyways guys I hope you found this lesson helpful. If you did, please like, and subscribe for more
videos like this one and as always thank you so much for watching and I'll see you next time!