What vitamins to take for low testosterone

Home Health 3 Supplements That May Boost Testosterone

Just talk to your doc before your swallow ‘em.

• Kayla Blanton
• Fact-checked by Tracy Middleton
• June 16, 2022

• Testosterone replacement therapy is often prescribed for men with low testosterone, however certain supplements also claim to boost T levels.
• Some studies suggest ashwagandha, fenugreek, and shilajit may increase testosterone.
• Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of low testosterone or a blood test like Hone’s at-home assessment has shown that you have low T, you’ll often be prescribed testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to help get your levels back to normal. But if you’re interested in taking a more natural route, there are various ways to raise testosterone levels with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, either directly, or by preventing the body from converting testosterone to estrogen.

If you opt for this route, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, supplements and herbs aren’t proven as effective as TRT for increasing testosterone. Also: “Supplements, in general, are not well studied,” says urologist Joshua Calvert, M.D. Nor are they regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Still, as long as your doctor gives you the green light (because you should always discuss any pills you want to take with your M.D.), here are three supplements that may help increase testosterone levels.

TRT

What to Look for On Testosterone Supplement Labels

Ingredients

Look for products containing researched ingredients, including those below.

Dose

Choose products that contain ingredients in the doses suggested below, which are safe.

Quality

Find supplements that have been third-party tested or clinically studied. Bonus points if the bottle features a United States Pharmacopeial (USP) seal of approval, which indicates that the supplement contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts.

Supplements may help raise testosterone, but testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is proven to boost T levels if they’re clinically low. Hone’s at-home testosterone assessment is fast and simple. And if it shows that you have low T, you can talk with a doctor about your options.

The Best Supplements to Increase Testosterone

1. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha, an Indian herb commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine, may boost testosterone levels in a few ways, says integrative physician Erich Acebedo, M.D. The plant has been shown to help manage stress and several hormone-related conditions (1).

Acebedo typically uses ashwagandha as first-line therapy for stress. “It’s a modulator for cortisol, the stress hormone,” he explains. And with stress being a big contributor to low T, Acebedo says the herb could be a preventative treatment.

Research has also found it to have a direct impact on testosterone. A 2021 meta-analysis of four studies published in Advances in Nutrition found that supplementing with ashwagandha root or leaf extract for at least eight weeks effectively raised participants’ testosterone levels better than a placebo (2). 

Acebedo says the ashwagandha may also boost free T levels by blocking 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a more potent male sex hormone.

If you’re feeling extra stressed and struggling with low T, Acebedo recommends a daily dose of 800 milligrams.

2. Fenugreek

In one 2016 study, men who took 600 mg of fenugreek extract daily for 12 weeks experienced a significant increase in testosterone levels, along with improvements in sexual function compared to a placebo (3). 

Another study found that taking 500 mg of fenugreek extract daily for 12 weeks increased free testosterone levels by up to 46% in 90% of study participants (4).

What’s the link? Testosterone is metabolized through two different processes, Acebdo explains. There’s the aforementioned conversion to DHT. Estradiol, the main form of estrogen in men, is also converted into testosterone by way of an enzyme called aromatase.

Acebedo says that fenugreek may block both of those processes, therefore increasing free testosterone levels. Fenugreek may also improve free testosterone levels by blocking sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds to testosterone to help it penetrate tissue, Acebedo adds. By decreasing the body’s amount of protein-bound T, more free T becomes available.

A fenugreek bonus: The plant may also imbue some muscle-building properties. “Some very small studies have shown that it also works for muscle mass improvement compared to placebo,” says Calvert.

If you’re interested in trying it, Dr. Acebedo typically prescribes 600 daily milligrams.

related

3. Shilajit

Shilajit is a natural substance found mainly in the Himalayas, formed from centuries of decomposition of certain plants. Several multi-vitamins marketed as testosterone boosters contain it as a main ingredient.

In one small randomized 2015 study, half of participants were given 250 milligrams and showed a statistically significant increase in total testosterone levels compared to the other half, who were given a placebo (5).

Vitamins to Boost Testosterone

Increasing vitamin levels is an even easier way to raise testosterone levels, because they’re more readily available. Walk into any pharmacy, and you’ll find shelves lined with vitamins, which isn’t always the case for supplements and herbs like fenugreek and ashwagandha, which you may only find at a specialty store.

Two vitamins in particular—vitamin D and zinc—have been shown to increase T levels in deficient patients. “There’s some limited data showing that if you are deficient in zinc and/or vitamin D you will have lower testosterone levels, so supplementation may help increase your T levels,” says Dr. Jeng, Chief Medical Officer at Hone Health. “But if your levels are normal, then supplementation probably won’t make much of a difference,” he adds. There are, however, few downsides to taking these vitamins in the recommended doses, so it’s worth a shot.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a hormone that helps the body absorb and retain both calcium and phosphorus, which are critical for building bone and maintaining bone strength. We get vitamin D from eating certain foods that naturally contain the nutrient (salmon, mackerel, herring, mushrooms, butter, cream, egg yolks) or are fortified with Vitamin D (like cereal, orange juice, and milk). We also get vitamin D from ultraviolet (UVB) rays, which upon hitting our skin can trigger the production of vitamin D.

How much vitamin D do you need? Physicians recommend getting between 1,000 IU –10,000 IU of Vitamin D per day, from dietary sources, sun exposure, and supplements (if your doctor recommends them).

Vitamin D and Low T

According to the American Urological Association, there is a significant link between Vitamin D and testosterone, the male sex hormone that fuels sex drive, in 2015.

Testosterone is produced in the testes, and scientists suspect that Vitamin D might influence how the testes work. When your liver converts Vitamin D into calcidiol, the hormone is sent to various organs and systems, carrying messages that are necessary for proper function. One of calcidiol’s targets is the testes and the message it delivers involves how to make and convert testosterone into free testosterone, which is the unbound testosterone used for cell replication in the bones and muscles and for creating facial hair.

Some symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency are also sneakily similar to symptoms of low testosterone, including:

• Fatigue
• Feeling foggy-brained or unable to concentrate
• Mood changes (Some research has linked low levels of Vitamin D to depression, though researchers are still studying the connection.)
• Erectile dysfunction

If you have any of the above symptoms, it’s best to talk to your doctor. The only real way to know if you’re deficient is to get a blood test.

Zinc

Zinc is a nutrient responsible in part for helping your immune system and metabolism function. We typically get enough zinc through our diet (think foods like chicken, red meat, nuts, yogurt, and fortified cereals) but some people can become deficient in zinc. 

Zinc and Low T

Severe and moderate deficiency of zinc is associated with hypogonadism (low T) in men (6). While supplementing with the vitamin is common for an immune boost, it can also help raise free T levels. However, as Dr. Jeng mentioned, if you’re not deficient, loading up on zinc won’t help to raise your T levels significantly.

Zinc is important to both the male reproductive system (it plays a key role in sperm quality and production) and the endocrine system, which regulates hormones, one being testosterone. As such, it plays an important role in testosterone production, the function of the prostate, and prostate gland health. You can see why being deficient in zinc could have implications on testosterone levels.

But how much zinc do you need to supplement with? It’s not much—just 11 milligrams is the recommended amount for men over the age of 19.

Other Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone

TRT and supplements can do some heavy lifting for your hormone levels, but implementing these simple lifestyle changes can also help.

Work Out

“Exercise increases testosterone levels, especially immediately after high intensity interval training (HIIT),” explains Acebedo, who recommends breaking a sweat at least two to three times a week.

This is particularly crucial if you’re overweight, because the more fat cells you have, “the more your free testosterone is being converted to estradiol,” explains Calvert. “You need estrogen, but too much of it is not a good thing. Researchers have found time and time again that weight loss is associated with increased testosterone levels” (7).

Avoid BPAs

Bisphenol A, a chemical used to make plastics that humans are exposed to mainly through food packaging like bottled water, has been found to interact with estrogen receptors (8) in men, which inhibits testosterone production. “They are endocrine disrupting chemicals that tend to lower our hormones,” says Acebedo.

Eat a Balanced Diet

In the same way that working out to maintain a healthy weight can increase testosterone, eating well can, too. A 2018 study that tracked the dietary patterns of 125 adult men confirmed this, discovering that those who ate more bread, pastries, dairy products, desserts, and takeout than homemade foods, noodles, and dark green vegetables had overall low testosterone levels (9).

Get Better Sleep

Research shows that testosterone production and restorative sleep are inextricably linked. More specifically, testosterone levels peak during REM sleep. So, if you’re not sleeping long enough to linger into deep stages, your body won’t experience that spike.

To further explore the power sleep has over testosterone, one 2015 study documented the sleep patterns of 10 healthy young men over an 18 day period. In transitioning from eight hours of nightly sleep to an average of four hours and 48 minutes, participants’ daytime testosterone levels decreased by 10 to 15 percent (10). 

The ideal quantity of restorative sleep varies slightly from person to person, but seven to nine nightly hours is a good target to aim for, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Several supplements, including shilajit, fenugreek, and ashwagandha, claim to boost testosterone.  If you are interested in trying one to increase your T levels, discuss it with your doctor and get their sign-off, because they aren’t FDA-regulated and can affect everyone differently.

References

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