Increase Testosterone To 1000 Ng/dL ++

[superhuman]

On paper it looks simple to raise, in practice though, it's a much different story. Insulin inhibits Testosterone production; more-so it's the insulin resistance that is correlated with low T levels. Relationship between testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function in men. - PubMed - NCBI

In other words, low T is a human caused issue, not an age related issue. As for what causes insulin resistance, the answers should be obvious: Diet, Eating frequency, Stress, Sleep

As for diet, foods that cause large insulin loads leading to insulin resistance over the long-term: Starches, sugars, processed foods. Eating frequency: Continually eating doesn't allow insulin levels to fall. Stress (Cortisol), this is obvious, stress suppresses Testosterone. Sleep (probably should have mentioned this first), is probably the biggest factor, don't sleep enough, Testosterone falls and insulin resistance ensues. Despite all factors; one can have a perfect insulin load diet, good eating frequency, zero stress, and still turn themselves insulin resistant with poor sleeping habits. All factors considered, unless sleep is normalized, adequate, restful, and follows the circadian rhythm, all attempts at raising Testosterone (except for TRT and roids), will be futile.

If you want to raise your Testosterone, it's best to go get a fasting insulin test first. It needs to be low, and by low I mean on the very low end of what doctors consider normal (or maybe even lower than that). Aside from sleep, all out fasting is the best way to lower fasting insulin levels. It's something like 71% more effective than diet at reducing insulin. Of course combining with diet will produce much quicker effects. With diet, you probably shouldn't be eating high carb, but nor should one be eating high fat either. If you think about it from ancestral terms, they didn't "fat bomb" any of their food. Removing any food that's processed removes all oils (including coconut and olive oil), butter, dairy and the like. You're basically left with a diet that is primarily meat based (red) including the internal organs, fruit occasionally as it's seasonal, and vegetables as a last resort, aka, not a significant source in their diet. The insulin load with that type of diet is quite low, and given the fact they'd have extended fasts in between animal kills for food. Diet wise, that is probably your best best at raising T levels.

Edit - I was listening to a strength coach the other day (Charles Poliquin), and take it for what it's worth, but from his observation, it wasn't necessarily high T levels that was correlated with benefits associated with Testosterone, its high levels of DHEA sulfate. He's witnessed benefits generally listed with high T levels in people with low T levels by high levels of DHEA sulfate. It's interesting when you think about it.

What you are saying is opposite of what Ray Peat talks about and i dont agree with most of it at all. sugars, starches etc does not cause insulin resistance. Insulin is very anabolic. Insulin lowers cortisol. You talk about fasting and all that, and yeah its just to much total opposite away from Ray that i cant respond to it.

 

[Risingfire]

On paper it looks simple to raise, in practice though, it's a much different story. Insulin inhibits Testosterone production; more-so it's the insulin resistance that is correlated with low T levels. Relationship between testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function in men. - PubMed - NCBI

In other words, low T is a human caused issue, not an age related issue. As for what causes insulin resistance, the answers should be obvious: Diet, Eating frequency, Stress, Sleep

As for diet, foods that cause large insulin loads leading to insulin resistance over the long-term: Starches, sugars, processed foods. Eating frequency: Continually eating doesn't allow insulin levels to fall. Stress (Cortisol), this is obvious, stress suppresses Testosterone. Sleep (probably should have mentioned this first), is probably the biggest factor, don't sleep enough, Testosterone falls and insulin resistance ensues. Despite all factors; one can have a perfect insulin load diet, good eating frequency, zero stress, and still turn themselves insulin resistant with poor sleeping habits. All factors considered, unless sleep is normalized, adequate, restful, and follows the circadian rhythm, all attempts at raising Testosterone (except for TRT and roids), will be futile.

If you want to raise your Testosterone, it's best to go get a fasting insulin test first. It needs to be low, and by low I mean on the very low end of what doctors consider normal (or maybe even lower than that). Aside from sleep, all out fasting is the best way to lower fasting insulin levels. It's something like 71% more effective than diet at reducing insulin. Of course combining with diet will produce much quicker effects. With diet, you probably shouldn't be eating high carb, but nor should one be eating high fat either. If you think about it from ancestral terms, they didn't "fat bomb" any of their food. Removing any food that's processed removes all oils (including coconut and olive oil), butter, dairy and the like. You're basically left with a diet that is primarily meat based (red) including the internal organs, fruit occasionally as it's seasonal, and vegetables as a last resort, aka, not a significant source in their diet. The insulin load with that type of diet is quite low, and given the fact they'd have extended fasts in between animal kills for food. Diet wise, that is probably your best best at raising T levels.

Edit - I was listening to a strength coach the other day (Charles Poliquin), and take it for what it's worth, but from his observation, it wasn't necessarily high T levels that was correlated with benefits associated with Testosterone, its high levels of DHEA sulfate. He's witnessed benefits generally listed with high T levels in people with low T levels by high levels of DHEA sulfate. It's interesting when you think about it.

Paleo diet lowers testosterone in my experience

 

[sele]

I would focus on inhibiting aromatase before trying to increase testosterone.
If not, all that precious testosterone will convert to estrogen.

 

[superhuman]

I would focus on inhibiting aromatase before trying to increase testosterone.
If not, all that precious testosterone will convert to estrogen.

I agree. But things like aspirin, pregnenolone etc havent done anything for me in terms of that. Not sure what other things there are out there ?

 

[sele]

Calcium is needed to produce testosterone in the testicles.
Are you getting plenty of calcium?

Are lactic acid, ammonia, and nitric oxide in check?
These can also increase aromatase.

 

[superhuman]

Calcium is needed to produce testosterone in the testicles.
Are you getting plenty of calcium?

Are lactic acid, ammonia, and nitric oxide in check?
These can also increase aromatase.

Yeah i get 3-5g calcium a day.

Yeah i guess those three are in check. How can i check without having blood tests?

 

[Wagner83]

I agree. But things like aspirin, pregnenolone etc havent done anything for me in terms of that. Not sure what other things there are out there ?

Boil 100 grams of white button mushrooms a day for 2-3 hours in a bit of water, drink the liquid part and eat the mushrooms as a salad , away from meals. Do that for a few days.

 

[superhuman]

Boil 100 grams of white button mushrooms a day for 2-3 hours in a bit of water, drink the liquid part and eat the mushrooms as a salad , away from meals. Do that for a few days.

Hmm really. What are the supposed benefits? boiling for 2-3 hours, that seems like insane time consumption.

 

[tca300]

Hmm really. What are the supposed benefits? boiling for 2-3 hours, that seems like insane time consumption.

The White button mushroom is a very potent aromatase inhibitor. When tested against many other foods it was found to be much more effective than others in regards to lowering estrogen. Also, the bigger the white button mushroom is, the more effect it has. Boiling for 3 hours makes sure the toxin in them is thoroughly destroyed.

 

[superhuman]

The White button mushroom is a very potent aromatase inhibitor. When tested against many other foods it was found to be much more effective than others in regards to lowering estrogen. Boiling for 3 hours makes sure the toxin in them is thoroughly destroyed.

But im always looking at things in terms of pros and cons. Cooking something for 3 hours seems like a lot of time and stress to invest. Isnt there something else to do ? Also can you cook them and then freeze or ? do you drink the liquid also? how does it taste after 3 hours of cooking? like a shoe sole?

 

[tca300]

Ya its definitely time consuming, especially if you buy them whole and chop them up. I dont know about freezing, I cook up a few pounds and then eat them over 3-5 days, storing them in the fridge. I eat them like soup, and drink the liquid. Many dont like the taste of mushrooms, I dont mind the taste, and season with salt, and sometimes tabasco. I cant tell you if it would be worth your time because im not you, but if estrogen is a problem for you personally, mushrooms can be a valuable thing to add to other currently used anti-estrogenic substances. @superhuman

 

[superhuman]

@tca300 i will try for sure. I love mushroom esp on pizza etc but ofc have never done 3 hours cooking. Ahh ok you can have in fridge for some days, thats good. Store the liquid also in fridge?
How soon before you notice anything in terms of lowering estrogen etc.

 

[tca300]

I boil them with plenty of water and just leave them together and serve with a big soup spoon scooping the liquid with the mushrooms. Honestly when I started eating them a while back I was disappointed because I didn't notice anything right away. I ate several pounds over a 5 day period and then didn't have any for a few days and started to notice a little water retention after being without them. For me it was slow acting over a couple days and then after not using them for a few days I notice a few estrogen symptoms creeping back. Keeping PUFA extremely low for several years has made me very responsive to thyroid and if for whatever reason I feel a stint of lower libido, water retention, etc.. eating a small amount of thyroid gland makes me pee out the excess water within an hour or two, and immediately elevates libido. Getting thyroid running at normal levels or even slightly above normal is by far the best thing I have discovered for myself in raising testosterone and lowering estrogen.

 

[superhuman]

@tca300 cool. You only need very little thyroid to get an effect? like 1 mcg Tyronene? did you need more earlier in the journey? i dont respond much to thyroid

 

[Ron J]

https://raypeatforum.com/community/...ired-for-estrogen-inactivation-by-liver.6868/
@tca300 Ever tried white button mushroom supplement? If so, does it work as well?

 

[tca300]

About 6 years ago when I started taking thyroid, It took a lot for me to notice anything, and taking any T4 made things worse. I have kept PUFA under 4 grams for about 9 years, and 2 or under for about 5 years, and under 1 gram for a few years now, without even 1 day of a higher PUFA intake. Now I respond best to NDT, provided it actually contains thyroid gland, because most dont seem too. I think thats why I have seen so much improvement, because I have stuck with it. Many will give it a go for a few weeks, maybe months, and a few will make it a year or two, but when you stick with it for half a decade or more is when I think the body has really had time to lessen PUFA stores and start to heal noticably. The important thing for many I think is finding a way to make it sustainable for you personally long term, many just cant stop eating things like pizza, fries, chips etc.. Eating low PUFA for a while, then spending a few days eating a bunch of it will practically put you back where you started, and you will be in a never ending circle of PUFA depletion/accumulation. I enjoy eating these foods, and dont desire trash, which makes it easy for me. Thats my opinion anyways. @superhuman

 

[tca300]

@Ron J No I haven't

 

[superhuman]

@tca300 very cool. I havent done this as long as you, im only 2-3 years into peating and have gotten several months at a time of eating under 10 gram fat total daily etc and all that, but i also know there is alot left to make huge improvements. I have done runs with thyroid cynomel, cynoplus etc but i havent really notice anything from either. In the beginning how much did you need to take etc and what to get the effect you where after?

 

[tca300]

@superhuman Im not advising this, just sharing my experience but I remember in the beginning taking an entire 25mcg tablet of cynomel and feeling just a small amount of warmth. Later after that I was taking 4-6mcg every waking hour just to stay some what warm. It was terrible.

 

[superhuman]

@tca300 i have even done more than that after trying the Dr Lowe protocols etc. But did you just take 25 mcg once or did you do 25 mcg x times a day for some time then the 4-6 mcg every hour?
For how long did you do either?
What is your experience in terms of dosing smaller and more frequent vs say 3 times a day with bigger doses etc.