Soy, balls and testosterone

In case you lose your attention in the next 30 seconds, here’s the take-home message: Men who value their balls shouldn’t eat a lot of soy. I understand?

The other day, while killing some time in my gym, I found myself looking at the ingredients of a well-known brand of protein powder that the juice bar uses for all of its shakes and shakes. To my surprise, soy protein was listed as one of the ingredients. I asked the company that made this protein how much soy was in each serving, but they said the details of its “proprietary formula” could not be disclosed. Now soy protein is extremely cheap (much cheaper than whey, for example, which is pretty cheap in and of itself), so the ‘Our formula is a secret’ stance = We’re making tons of money with this product and we don’t want you or our Competitors to know how much.

Anyway, in addition to having a lower amino acid profile compared to just about any other protein I can think of (maybe other than pea protein!), The main problem for men who eat soy is that several studies like this have been shown to reduce testosterone levels. (This article from a weightlifting site contains a more detailed article on the effects and lists several studies to back it up.) If you value your skills as a man (whether it’s on the sports field, in the boardroom, or in the bedroom), you’ll want to take note of this. I’m not saying that a little miso soup with your sushi or a serving of soy protein in your shake is going to give you Mr Muscle hormone levels, but what I am saying is that if you consider the estrogenic world you live in and how Has been shown to affect your hormone levels (consider estrogens in the tap water you drink, thank you ladies! the alcohol you also drink and the food you eat), men may want to stay away from other easily avoidable things. which further reduces testosterone.

And for the girls who for obvious reasons may not be concerned about this item, instead of wasting your money on a soy protein that has a poor amino acid profile, buy a suitable whey or casein protein. Ultimately, you get a lot more for your money.

What are the symptoms of low testosterone?

Without going into excruciating detail, all men understand that as they get older, in terms of manhood, they will not be the ‘man’ they were when they had more time. And despite what progressive parts of the medical community may say, this is not only normal, it is a good thing. The flip side of less testosterone and aggression is greater tolerance and empathy with the world and those around you. It’s one of the reasons many men only seem to be successful (whether in terms of business or relationship success) until they reach middle age.

With that being said, abnormally low testosterone levels outside of very old age are a bad thing that can and should be treated. Symptoms include

• loss of libido (really? Who would have thought!),
• reduced energy and increased fatigue,
• loss of athletic performance
• difficulty staying awake, especially at night
• loss of enjoyment of life and perhaps depression
• increased interest in buying a red sports car (not yet scientifically proven)

What can you do about it?

Assuming you don’t have abnormally low testosterone levels (in which case your healthcare professional will advise you on the appropriate form of hormone replacement therapy) for those with normal to low levels, or those men who just want to maximize what they have, apart To minimize the consumption of soy in your diet, I suggest the following:

• Don’t buy bottled water that is in plastic bottles, choose glass. Plastics can release estrogenic compounds into water over time.
• For the same reasons, NEVER microwave food in plastic containers.
• If you drink, drink spirits or wine, not beer.
• Make sure you get enough healthy fats in your diet; This should be a combination of saturated fat from things like avocados, steaks, eggs, and butter, and essential fatty acids from things like fish or fish oil supplements. If you eat like a bird, you will look like a bird. (You can take that however you want to interpret it!)
• Do a heavy compound lifting weight workout at least once a week. (A few decent sets of compound lifting (squats, bench press, deadlift, pull up, etc.) stimulate the endocrine system to trigger the release of hormones, albeit temporarily, much more than dozens of sets of bicep curls, Regardless of the intensity of the burn, you get.
• Cut back on the amount of cardio you do – unless you’re an athlete training for an event, you really don’t need that much for general health and body composition purposes. (Extreme amounts of cardio training can greatly reduce testosterone levels; in a study of US Rangers soldiers, extreme exercise and low food intake from their regimen resulted in most soldiers had the hormonal profile of neutered men!)
• After all of this, consider supplementing with herbs like tribulus terris, which can boost testosterone levels.

Your reward for going all the way

And finally, gentlemen, as summer is finally here, the next time your partner catches you staring where they shouldn’t be, blame it on the sun and your hormones, as the sun also increases testosterone levels.