Testosterone Increases In Men After A Low Dose Of Alcohol

Elephanto

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Testosterone increases in men after a low dose of alcohol. - PubMed - NCBI

After intake of alcohol (0.5 g/kg, 10% w/v), an acute increase in plasma testosterone (from 13.5 +/- 1.2 nmol/liter to 16.0 +/- 1.6 nmol/liter, mean +/- SEM; p < 0.05), a decrease in androstenedione (from 5.1 +/- 0.4 nmol/liter to 4.0 +/- 0.3 nmol/liter; p < 0.05), and an increase in the testosterone:androstenedione ratio (from 2.8 +/- 0.3 to 4.2 +/- 0.4; p < 0.01) were observed.

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Goes in accordance of the many studies that find a biphasic effect of alcohol on health. But it's interesting to know that it has the potential to raise testosterone as we assume it is purely anti-androgenic.
 

DaveFoster

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I find my reaction to alcohol to be a net negative, regardless of the amount. The proportion of alcohol equals the proportion of depression that follows the next day; I even notice a few sips dampen my mood slightly.
 

Koveras

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Depends on the mechanism...

Examine.com and Suppversity have discussed this somewhat.

"Overall, alcohol can increase testosterone acutely through increasing a REDOX ratio in the liver (NADH:NAD+) but this spike is short lived; a reverse trend is seen at a later point when alcohol probably reaches the testicles to suppress testosterone synthesis, this is also short-lived for the most part. Chronic alcohol consumption at low doses is associated with a decrease in testosterone, but to a degree where it may not be practically relevant; alcoholism is associated with a larger and significant reduction in testosterone levels"

"We should also take into account that the mechanism by which this increase or, to be precise, the absence of a decrease in total testosterone and the 2nd spike in free testosterone come about, may very well decide whether it's a good or bad thing. When I think of alcohol I usually think of the liver and, when I think of the liver, alcohol and testosterone, I think of the accumulation of estrogen in heavy drinkers with a alcoholic fatty liver, which renders them prone to develop gynecomastia. Why? Simply because their liver cannot get rid of the end-products of the hormonal cascade. So, if the higher testosterone levels are simply the result of a temporarily hampered hormone metabolism in the liver, it stands to reason that the results are unlikely to increase your strength and muscle growth, right?"

"Enough of the ranting - Let's take stock, now: Alcohol impairs protein synthesis, specifically in the fast-twitch "easy-growing" type II fibers. Alcohol nullifies the anabolic and anti-catabolic effects of insulin and IGF-1 on skeletal muscle. Alcohol increases myostatin and puts a break on muscle growth. Alcohol intoxicates the testes, reduces testosterone production in men and messes with the estrogen to androgen ratio in men and women. And, last but not least, alcohol impairs post-workout glycogen re-synthesis (Burke. 2003) and augments the loss of force associated strenuous eccentric exercise (Barnes. 2010a,b).

You can hardly need more reasons to be convinced that this true of false article is dealing with a "false" hypothesis. Alcohol will hamper skeletal muscle hypertropyh, it will decrease your testosterone levels and it will impair your strength and recovery. So, do you really want more good reasons to stay away from booze in general and "above-threshold" doses of 1.5g/kg, in particular?"
 

Waynish

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Oct 11, 2016
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Can help with bacteria, and therefore endotoxin in the short term. See the endotoxin-driven alcoholics study.
 
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