In many men low testosterone is caused by reversible conditions, such as excess body fat and chronic disease (e.g., type-2-diabetes, metabolic-syndrome). Consequently, a hypocaloric diet is very effective for increasing testosterone levels in this population,[1] whereas a hypocaloric diet seems to reduce testosterone levels in lean men.[2][3]
In addition, it’s worth paying attention to dietary fat levels, because limited evidence suggests that low-fat diets (≤25% of energy intake) decrease testosterone levels compared to higher-fat diets (about 40% of energy intake).[4]
References
- ^Grossmann M, Matsumoto AMA Perspective on Middle-Aged and Older Men With Functional Hypogonadism: Focus on Holistic ManagementJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(2017 Mar 1)
- ^Stephen J Smith, Shaun Y M Teo, Adrian L Lopresti, Brody Heritage, Timothy J FairchildExamining the effects of calorie restriction on testosterone concentrations in men: a systematic review and meta-analysisNutr Rev.(2021 Oct 6)
- ^Cangemi R, Friedmann AJ, Holloszy JO, Fontana LLong-term effects of calorie restriction on serum sex-hormone concentrations in men.Aging Cell.(2010-Apr)
- ^Joseph Whittaker, Kexin WuLow-fat diets and testosterone in men: Systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studiesJ Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.(2021 Jun)