We are nearly finished the testosterone series & I would like to mention a few things before this article. The previous articles in the testosterone series are an excellent foundation for raising testosterone naturally. The contents of this section will not reverse the testosterone gained if the foundation mentioned from earlier posts has been laid down. Eating or avoiding the foods that will be shortly mentioned, will have a slight effect on testosterone levels compared to the sum of the foundational practices. The information contained in this article can be thought of like icing on the cake. The aforementioned foundational articles of this series are collectively "the cake," and you will have an increased testosterone levels if practiced.

To optimize for maximum natural level, it is still good practice to avoid these items.

1. Trans Fats

Trans fats are one of the very few foods out there that will actually hurt you the moment it is consumed. Society tends to label unhealthy food as unhealthy due to the lack of micronutrients. If this form of food is the bulk of a person's food habit, then the lack of micronutrient intake may lead a person to micronutrient deficiencies.

First and foremost, trans fats are actively unhealthy for a person more so than empty calories. Trans fats cause inflammation throughout the body. Considering if a diet consists of products with trans fats, they will continuously have inflammation of the body. Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is the root cause of many medical conditions that are very common in America & Canada. A study shows a 23% increase in cardiovascular risk with only a 2% calorie makeup coming from trans fats.

The second reason to avoid trans fats is that trans fats lower the amount of good cholesterol you’ve built up. The good HDL cholesterol is one of the required ingredients to make testosterone and consuming products with trans fats is linked to lower sperm counts & lower testosterone levels in men.

The most common foods that contain trans fats are:

1. Fast Foods: McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, etc. If you’re not sure if a store counts as fast food, consider it as fast food.
2. Muffins, Donuts, Cookies, Cake, Cake Mixes, Frosting, etc.
3. Most potato chips also have trans fats.
4. Margarine & Vegetable oil spreads.
5. Confections & Baking using industrial vegetable oil shortenings.
6. Pies & pie crust from the market
7. Some ice cream brands
8. Non-dairy Coffee Creamers
9. Frozen precooked microwavable meals

Note: When products are labeled as “trans fat-free,” the FDA allows the product to contain 0.5 grams of the trans fat but report to consumers as zero trans-fat. If you're unsure, think if the product is considered a processed food, has a long shelf life and is considered cheap, then it probably has trans fat.

2. High-PUFA Vegetable Oils

A study looked at testosterone levels affected by different types of fats consumed. Here is a summary:

1. Increased amounts of fat consumed, increased testosterone levels.

2. Increased amounts of saturated fats consumed, increased testosterone levels.

• Dark chocolate | Red meats | Coconut Oil | Palm oil | Butter | Egg yolks | Cheese | Whole Milk

3. Increased amounts of monounsaturated fats consumed, increased testosterone levels.

• Peanut butter | Olive oil | Avocado oil | Hazelnut oil | Almond oil | Macadamia nut oil

4. Increased amounts of polyunsaturated fats consumed, decreased testosterone levels.

• Omega 6, 7, 9 | Flaxseed oil | Sunflower oil | Walnut oil | Margarine | Canola oil | Soybean oil | Light Spreads

Most vegetable oils are composed of polyunsaturated fats & contain high amounts of Omega 6’s. The body functions best when the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is 1:1 or close to it. The Standard American Diet in our society has produced most of us to have ~ 20:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. That severe imbalance is another factor contributing to chronic systemic inflammation & metabolic stress. This is just as easy to prevent as avoiding trans fatty foods.

3. Alcohol

Alcohol consumption from any variety has the tendency to lower testosterone levels. It has been well documented that chronic alcoholic men carry more estrogen & lower testosterone levels than their non-alcoholic peers. Although alcohol is part of our modern society, low alcohol consumption is not really that bad for men. In a study, two glasses of red wine would decrease testosterone levels by only 7%.

If you are aiming to achieve higher levels of testosterone for yourself, take a break from alcohol for a bit. As long as the core fundamentals are practiced (from previous articles), most men will do just fine with alcohol in moderation.

4. Soy

High consumption of soy or soy derivatives likes soy protein extract. Suppress both testosterone and DHT levels in one study. In a separate study, they showed an increase in soy intake doesn’t lower testosterone levels. Clearly, the research is inconclusive, let’s look at some other factors.

1. Soybeans have high levels of phyto-estrogenic isoflavones (glycitein, genistein & daidzein). These compounds activate estrogen receptors and deactivate androgen receptors, similar behavior as estrogen.

2. Soy is also highly goitrogenic, meaning thyroid gland function is disrupted. Thyroid hormone production is reduced since soy compounds interfere with iodine uptake from the thyroid gland. In general, thyroid disruption is one of the leading causes of low testosterone in men.

3. Soy consumption also has an anti-androgenic compound called equol. Equol forms in the digestive tract when gut probiotic bacteria metabolize daidzein (isoflavonoid). About 30-50% of men have the bacteria that does create equol, hence why Asian men may not have any issues.

Although research is inconclusive, Better to be safe than soy.

5. Flaxseed

Flaxseed products are dense in compounds called lignans. Flax products have roughly 800 times more lignans than most other whole foods. Yet again, we find a common compound that is very estrogenic. If you can recall from previous articles, lignans also increase Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) which bind to serum free testosterone and make testosterone inactive for muscle tissue to use via androgen receptor inactivity.

In a study when men consumed 30g of flaxseed per day for a month, their testosterone decreased up to 15%. Most men don’t ingest flaxseed anyways but if you do, limit the amount if your testosterone levels are of concern to you.

Bonus Insight

Thank you for your support, next I'll have a bonus post that puts everything preceding into mental success with Build Yourself & You Will Succeed.