Extra Protein, Extra Performance? - Excess protein turns into fat

By taking large quantities of protein, athletes hope to be able to run that extra mile or lift that extra weight without failing their drug tests. But, does it work? More importantly, is it worth the risks?

Joe Schwarcz PhD | 20 Mar 2017 

You Asked

No one can deny the importance of proteins in our diet. They are vital for countless body functions, especially tissue growth and repair. Proteins also provide energy to the body and help ensure a strong immune system. In striving to excel at their respective sports, many athletes subscribe to the notion that protein supplements enhance their physical performance. The existence of a multi-billion dollar supplement industry, however, does not prove that such products are necessary. Only a rigorous scientific investigation can do that.

Before delving into the science of protein supplements, let’s take a look at the differences between a supplement and a drug. Legally, dietary supplements cannot claim to cure, treat or prevent a disease, although they can convey how they potentially affect the body. Supplements do not have to go through the same regulatory process as drugs which undergo a thorough assessment for safety and efficacy before going on the market. Protein supplements therefore do not have to be proven effective before being sold. Indeed, their effectiveness continues to be a matter of ongoing debate, and with a lack of concrete evidence, many people continue to invest in this growing market.

An understanding of protein’s role in the body allows us to make an attempt at assessing the role of supplements. A normal adult requires only forty to fifty grams of protein per day in order to supply essential amino acids and replace the nitrogen eliminated in urea as waste. Essential amino acids are the nine out of twenty amino acids that the body requires but cannot produce on its own. When an amino acid is broken down, the nitrogen it contains is converted into urea by the liver which then is excreted via the kidneys. 

Many athletes, body builders, or teenage boys who are looking to “bulk up” turn to protein supplements or high protein diets to enhance their performance or accelerate muscle growth. Supposedly, the amino acids arginine and ornithine promote release of growth hormone, a natural hormone that stimulates muscle development. Glutamine and carnitine have also been marketed as strength-enhancing amino acids. By taking large quantities of these proteins, athletes hope to be able to run that extra mile or lift that extra weight without failing their drug tests. But, does it work? More importantly, is it worth the risks? 

A typical American diet contains approximately seventy to ninety grams of protein per day, meaning that most individuals far surpass their daily protein requirements. Dietary protein is used to replace proteins which were previously broken down and used by the body. Extra protein does not get stored. Instead, excess amino acids get converted to carbohydrate or fat. Thus, it seems that additional protein intake will not directly increase muscle growth, strength or physical performance and could even lead to weight gain and fat deposition, which are surely negative consequences for any athlete.

As a matter of fact, many health experts question the efficiency and safety of ingesting large amounts of proteins. In one study of elite junior weightlifters, consumption of protein supplements including glutamine and carnitine before workout did not result in changes in blood hormone levels during heavy training. Another study with bodybuilders found no change in blood growth hormones after consuming various mixtures of amino acids. Not only that, excess protein intake can have deleterious effects on the body. The recommended dose of protein intake for a normal adult is 0.8 g per kg of body weight per day. That’s 54 g for a person weighing 150 lb. High level athletes (and we are talking about those who compete at the national and international level, not your fifteen year-old who wants to impress a girl) require a bit more than that to compensate for their high energy output. According to one study, athletes competing in power or strength sports need about 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight, while endurance-trained athletes need about 1.3 g per kg. There is still debate about the exact amount of proteins athletes should consume, but the consensus is that anything over 2.0 g per kg of body weight per day is excessive and no scientific evidence supports beneficial effects above this level. High protein diets on the other hand advocate protein intake on the order of 200 to 400 g a day! Too much protein intake can lead to liver and kidney overload; the liver cannot convert nitrogen into urea fast enough and the kidney has to deal with extra urea. Too much urea results in higher demand for water, which leads to dehydration. And we all know how important it is for athletes to stay hydrated. More serious problems include hyperaminoacidemia (excess amino acid in blood), hyperammonemia (excess ammonia), hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin), calcium loss and overreaction within the immune system.

All you need, really, is a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. No need to wreak havoc in your body with excessive supplementation. A 3-oz. portion of roast white chicken meat already contains 26g of protein. Beans average about 15g per cup, and pasta contains 5g per cup. While there is evidence that extra protein can be beneficial for athletes, you really don’t need much. A double-blind study with judoists showed that a daily protein supplement of 0.5 g per kg of body weight improved the maximum oxygen uptake. The effects disappeared when judoists stopped taking the supplements. However, such amounts can be obtained from a healthy diet. The body cannot tell the difference between proteins coming from foods and proteins coming from bottles. Proponents of supplements claim that they are more readily absorbed than the protein from food and that certain amino acids increase muscle mass and decrease body fat. The fact is, there is no reason to believe that faster absorption is better; after all, muscles don’t just grow from one second to the next. The best way to gain muscle mass is to add body weight by increasing calorie intake from low fat carbohydrate sources.

Endurance or strength exercise does increase the body’s dietary protein requirement, therefore athletes who are generally more physically active than the average person, require more dietary protein. Just how much more is hard to determine but needs can certainly be met without resorting to protein supplements. Furthermore excessive protein intake is not without problems. Potential side effects include dehydration, which is secondary to high urea excretion, gout, liver and kidney damage, calcium loss, bloating and diarrhea. Yes, athletes do need more protein, but not in gargantuan amounts. And supplements are great, for those who sell them. There is nothing you cannot obtain from a healthy diet. As for bulking up... exercise by itself already significantly increases growth hormone levels, so leave the health food stores alone and head for the gym!

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-you-asked/extra-protein-extra-performance

How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle

Welcome! If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, increase energy levels or just generally 

look and feel healthier you've come to the right place.

So you wanna put on some lean muscle mass. And you want to do it within the context of the Primal Blueprint, but aren’t sure where to start. It’s a common question and it’s about time I addressed it head on.

As I’ve made pretty clear, our ultimate goal is to achieve positive gene expression, functional strength, optimum health, and extended longevity. In other words: To make the most out of the particular gene set you inherited. These are my end goals, and I’ve modeled the PB Laws with them in mind. But that doesn’t mean packing on extra muscle can’t happen with additional input. After I retired from a life of chronic cardio and started living Primally, I added 15 pounds of muscle, while keeping low body fat levels without really trying, so it’s absolutely possible for a hardgainer to gain some. The question is how much and at what expense?

I’d be the first to tell you that lean body mass is healthier than adipose tissue. Generally, the more lean mass a person has, the longer and better they live. But to increase mass at the expense of agility, strength, or speed is, in my opinion, counterproductive. What would Grok do – go for enormous biceps or the ability to haul a carcass back to camp? Unless you’re a bodybuilder (nothing wrong with that, mind you; it’s just not my focus), I can’t advise simply packing on size without a proportional increase in actual strength. Those bulging biceps might look good on the beach, but then again, so does the body that comes with keeping up with the younger guys, knocking out twenty pull-ups in a row, and lifting twice your bodyweight. Form is best paired with a healthy serving of function. The two are quite delicious together, and, luckily, following the PB allows us to get both without sacrificing either.

Of course, we’re all built a little differently. The basic building blocks are the same in everyone, but sexual reproduction (as opposed to asexual reproduction) has the funny habit of producing unique genetics and small variations that affect the way we respond to our environments. It’s why some people are short and some are tall, or why some of us respond better to carbohydrates than others. Even though we all pretty much operate the same way, there IS a range of possible outcomes that is proscribed by your direct ancestors. By that same token, some people just naturally have more muscle mass. They’re usually innately more muscular than the average person, and putting more on through resistance training is often an easy task. Then there are those who can’t seem to gain a pound: the hardgainers. They might be increasing strength, but it doesn’t seem to translate into visible muscle mass. Now, my initial advice for a hardgainer is this – don’t worry too much about it! As long as you’re getting stronger, you’re doing it right.

Let’s face it, though. You’ve probably heard that enough already. It’s fun being the lanky guy at the gym who can lift more than most, but you’re dead set on bulking up (who doesn’t like a bit more muscle to go along with that strength?), and you want to do it in a Primal context. Besides, continuing to increase strength will eventually require increasing size. To do so, you have to target the very same anabolic hormones that others use to get big, only with even more enthusiasm and drive. Like I said, we all have similar engines, but some require more fuel and more efficient driving (sorry for the corny analogy). Activating these hormones will work for anyone, provided they work hard and eat enough food.

The main hormones that contribute to muscle anabolism are testosterone, growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). A little more about each and how to utilize them:

Testosterone

Crazy bodybuilders don’t inject themselves with anabolic steroid hormones that are based on testosterone for nothing. Among other roles, testosterone is an important muscle-building growth factor that favorably affects protein synthesis in addition to working with other hormones (like GH and IGF-1) to improve their function (more on this later). If you want to increase strength and build muscle, testosterone is absolutely required (don’t worry, though: no injections necessary!).

Growth Hormone

It’s right there in the name, isn’t it? Growth hormone. It helps muscle grow and, perhaps more importantly, it burns body fat. After all, leaning out is a big part of building muscle (or else you’ll just look puffy) and GH will help you do it.

Insulin-like Growth Factor 1

IGF-1 is extremely similar in effect to GH, as it should be – GH stimulates IGF-1 production in the liver. In fact, it’s suspected that IGF-1 is actually responsible for most of the “growth-promoting effects of circulating GH.”

Anabolic hormones all work together. In fact, to maximize their muscle-building potential, you must have all three present. Testosterone increases IGF-1, but only in the presence of GH. GH promotes skeletal muscle cell fusion independent of IGF-1, but the two are most effective in concert. Luckily for you, the types of exercises that stimulate the secretion of one will generally stimulate the secretion of the others. Funny how that works out, huh?

Enter The Central Nervous System

In order for your body to start pumping out these delicious anabolic hormones, you must first give it a reason to do so. I might even say you should give your genes a reason to express themselves. The most effective way to do this is by notifying the central nervous system. Now, the CNS can be a stubborn bastard, but he’s all you got when it comes to interpreting stimuli and relaying messages to the rest of the body. He’s not easily perturbed, and he won’t bother if you aren’t serious. If you insist on doing nothing but light aerobics or tiny isolation exercises, your CNS will barely notice. If you want to get your CNS’ attention, pick up the intensity. Run some sprints or do some heavy lifting. When you do an exercise like the squat with a heavy weight, all hands are on deck. Your CNS realizes that some serious exercising is going down and notifies the hypothalamus, which in turn talks to your pituitary gland. This tiny – but vital – member of the endocrine system is the gland that dispatches luteinizing hormones to tell the testicles to secrete testosterone. It’s also the gland that synthesizes and secretes GH. IGF-1 is mostly produced by the liver, but its production is facilitated by the presence of GH, so we can see that it all comes down to CNS stimulation. Chronic cardio doesn’t affect your CNS in any meaningful way, so that’s why we tend to avoid it; vigorous sprints, hard and heavy lifting, and anaerobic output will get its attention, so do plenty of these to maximize muscle growth.

Cortisol: A Hormone to Avoid

Promoting muscle and strength growth also requires avoiding excess amounts of catabolic (muscle wasting) hormones like cortisol. Cortisol is the major stress hormone, and it exists for a very legitimate reason (dealing with “flight or fight” incidents, inadequate sleep, anxiety), but in large amounts cortisol increases serum amino acids by breaking down muscle, inhibiting protein synthesis and reducing amino acid uptake by the muscles – all awful things for muscle growth. Compounding the problem even further, the broken-down muscle is converted into blood glucose, which then raises insulin secretion and increases insulin resistance while promoting fat storage. And we all know how great those muscles look with a nice layer of adipose tissue covering them up! On a serious note, most people following the PB already minimize cortisol by getting plenty of sleep and reducing stress, but if you’re preoccupied with building muscle mass and engaging in extended workout sessions to achieve it, avoiding excess cortisol can get tricky: excessive exercise without enough recovery time actually increases cortisol. It makes sense (think of it like your body’s telling you it needs a day or two off), but the desire for more muscle mass drives many to work out to the point of counter-productivity. Just be careful, and give yourself at least a day of rest after a particularly grueling session.

Lift Really Heavy Things

 

If you haven’t figured it out already, you’re going to be doing some heavy lifting in order to put on lean mass. The foundation of your routine should be the big compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, presses (bench and overhead), pull-ups, rows, dips, snatches, power cleans, clean and jerks. These engage multiple muscles while triggering your hormonal response systems. Bodyweight stuff, while valuable, simply isn’t going to get you the strength and mass increases you’re looking for. Testosterone, while useful, only gets really anabolic when you start lifting. You need to get under some decent weight, enough so that your CNS and endocrine system are blasted, but not so much that you can’t maintain proper form.

A popular routine is the 5×5 method. Popularized by programs like StrongLifts and Starting Strength, doing compound lifts for five sets of five reps allows you to strike a balance between strength building and superficial muscle hypertrophy. Done this way, your hypertrophy won’t be purely sarcoplasmic, which results in fluid-filled muscles that look big but don’t see a corresponding increase in actual strength. Instead, the 5×5 method promotes myofibrillar hypertrophy: hard, dense muscle fibers that increase strength and size (with no puffiness). That’s real muscle that would make Grok proud.

If you’re lifting heavy and lifting hard, keep your workouts spaced at least a day apart and don’t lift more than 3x/week. Three exercises per session should be perfect. That may not sound like much, but it’ll be plenty if you do it right. Remember, you’re doing big compound movements that will really shock your system, with an emphasis on intensity and power. You don’t want to overwork yourself, release a bunch of cortisol, and set yourself back a few weeks.

Squats and deadlifts are absolutely required. No excuses. They engage the most muscles and produce the biggest hormonal response. They will be the bedrock of your mass building campaign. Most programs recommend doing squats every session, and I tend to agree. You can handle it. Deadlifts are a bit more taxing and so should be relegated to every other workout. So, one week you’ll deadlift once, the next week twice. You can also sub in power cleans for the occasional deadlifts (or do them in addition) if you’re comfortable with such a complex movement. Presses are paramount, both overhead and bench. I’d alternate both types of presses every session. Pull-ups are great, but weighted pull-ups are even better. Same goes for dips. Just try to get one pulling, one pushing, and one squatting exercise in each session.

An example for beginners, with sets coming first in the sequence:

A
Squat 5×5
Pull-ups 5xFailure (add weight if “Failure” is becoming more than 12 reps)
Overhead Press 5×5

B
Squat 5×5
Deadlift 1/2/3×5 (your choice; deadlifts can be incredibly taxing, and with exhaustion comes poor form, so be careful; sometimes it’s better to do a really heavy load for a single set)
Bench Press 5×5

C
Squat 5×5
Pull-ups 5xFailure
Overhead Press 5×5

Do this sequence every week (maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and steadily increase the weight each session. Once you’re making progress, feel free to add in other exercises like dips or more Olympic lifts. For more mass, more lactic “burn” (and more GH secretion), reduce your rest periods between sets or even superset them. If you feel like doing some cardio, stick to sprints once weekly, or even a Crossfit-style metcon (metabolic conditioning) workout, maybe some Tabata burpees. The key is conserving strength and giving your body time to rest and recover for the next round of squats, deadlifts, and presses.

This “program” can be tweaked and altered. Just make sure you’re doing big movements while maintaining extreme intensity and great form. Oh, and always make sure to squat and deadlift. Always. They produce the most testosterone, GH, and IGF-1.

Eat Lots (I Mean Lots) of Plants and Animals

 

No one would ever call the Primal Blueprint a protein-sparing plan, but you’re going to have to eat even more than before. Stuff yourself. I always say that body composition is 80% diet, and that goes for putting on mass as well as losing fat. You need to provide plenty of protein for all those hormones to synthesize, after all.

• Never let your protein intake go lower than 1g/lb of body weight when you are aiming to add long-term muscle. It’s the building block of muscle, and your body is going to be starving for it.
• Eat plenty of saturated and monounsaturated fat. Fat blunts insulin secretion while increasing testosterone production. Insulin may be useful for stuffing your muscles full of glycogen, but that’s not what you’re going for… right?
• Dietary fat, in conjunction with all the GH you’ll be producing, also spares muscle wasting.
• You may have heard of the popular GOMAD method – Gallon of Milk a Day for easy mass-building. It undoubtedly works, but a gallon of milk isn’t exactly Primal and I can’t recommend it. Instead of milk, why not a dozen eggs a day? ADEAD? If you can manage it, eating them on top of your regularly scheduled meals is a great source of affordable protein, fat, and vitamins (Vitamin A in particular may have pro-anabolic effects).
• Eat often. If you’re going for pure size and strength, fasted workouts and skipped PWO meals may not be the ticket. You’ll burn more fat with the extra GH secretion and existing muscle will be spared, but you may be missing the chance at prime protein synthesis when you fast. A PWO meal of protein and fat will still blunt the insulin secretion and provide fuel for your muscles.
• Increase caloric intake. You’re going to be expending so much energy on the lifts (and you’ll continue to burn through it even on rest days) while eating clean, Primal foods (and keeping insulin low as ever) that fat accumulation shouldn’t be an issue at all. Eat!
• On those days when you do expend a ton of energy – maybe on your metcon or sprint day – having a Primal-friendly starch, like squash or sweet potato, is a decent way to replenish depleted glycogen stores.
• Eat a big piece of fatty meat every single day. Steak, whole chicken, lamb leg, organs, whatever. Just eat a solid piece of animal flesh for a powerful protein infusion on a daily basis.
• A hardgainer is often someone who doesn’t eat enough. Sure, genes play a role, but you can ultimately have a significant say in how those genes rebuild you. To a point. Eat more and lift harder to grab the reins.

I’m a firm believer in the body’s natural ability to achieve proper homeostasis, provided we supply the right environment and the right foods. For some of you, that might mean lower body mass, lower than you’d like. In my opinion, that amount of muscle is probably “right” for you and I wouldn’t recommend going above and beyond to achieve more of it… but I also wouldn’t condemn it, especially if it’s pursued in accordance with the Primal Laws. As for me, I am comfortable where I’m at and tend not to seek added mass (I’m also at a point where lifting heavy increases my risk of injury, and I HATE downtime). But if you are a hard-gainer looking to add a few, as long as it’s not just show muscle and you can actually lift some decent weight and at the very least manipulate your own body weight comfortably, eat those dozen eggs and gain that weight.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/gain-weight-build-muscle

This post is on Healthwise

Many Men Risk Their Health by Taking Testosterone When They Don’t Need It

The male sex hormone testosterone plays many roles in men's health. Besides affecting your sex drive, it also helps maintain muscle mass, bone density, red blood cells, and a general sense of well-being. 

This post is on Healthwise

February 21, 2014 

Story at-a-glance

• Testosterone plays many roles in men’s health. Besides affecting your sex drive, it also helps maintain muscle mass, bone density, red blood cells, and a general sense of well-being
• Direct-to-consumer drug advertising is driving men to use testosterone when they’re really not good candidates for it
• Testosterone prescriptions have tripled since 2001, and men in their 40s represent the fastest-growing group of users. Half of them do not qualify for a diagnosis warranting the prescription of testosterone
• Recent research found that men aged 65 and older who took testosterone DOUBLED their risk of having a heart attack within the first three months of use
• Chronic stress can result in hypercortisolemia, which inhibits testosterone production. Stress relief, diet, and high intensity exercise are three potent lifestyle strategies that can reverse low testosterone

By Dr. Mercola

The male sex hormone testosterone plays many roles in men's health. Besides affecting your sex drive, it also helps maintain muscle mass, bone density, red blood cells, and a general sense of well-being. 

Beginning around age 30, a man's testosterone levels begin to decline, and continue to do so as time goes on—unless you proactively address your lifestyle. Symptoms of declining testosterone levels can include:

• Decreased sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction and/or problems urinating
• Depression
• Difficulties with concentration and memory
• Weight gain and/or breast enlargement

Unfortunately, direct-to-consumer drug advertising, which is permissible in the US, is driving men to use testosterone when they're really not good candidates for it. There are studies showing that testosterone therapy can be quite helpful and beneficial, but that's in men who actually have very low testosterone.

Lacking energy and sex drive does not automatically mean you have severe testosterone deficiency warranting taking this hormone. Yet "low T" has become a well-recognized mantra—created by some pharmaceutical PR department—even though there's no hard and set "normal" testosterone level.  

Your Lack of Libido Could Be Due to Other Hormonal Imbalance

For example, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)1 found that there were significant individual variations in the amount of testosterone required for any particular man to maintain lean body mass, strength, and sexual function.

Other hormones, such as estrogen, also play a critical role in men's health, so the heavy focus on testosterone may be inappropriate. The NEJM study2determined that while testosterone deficiency accounted for decreases in lean mass, muscle size, and strength, estrogen deficiency was the primary culprit when it came to increases in body fat.

Both hormones were found to be important for sexual function, and a deficiency in either had a negative impact on the men's libido.

Please note that men are NOT advised to take estrogen replacement therapy, as this could cause feminization, such as enlarged breasts. As your testosterone levels rise, your body will automatically produce more estrogen.

So the key is to maintain your testosterone level—ideally by incorporating the strategies I will discuss below. Interestingly, simply having more sex has also been shown to boost testosterone levels in men.3 As reported by PeakTestosterone.com:

"One 1992 study4 examined four couples on days that they did and didn't have sexual activity... [T]hey found that testosterone levels increased on nights after sexual activity and did not on nights where there was no intercourse. The authors noted that their study showed that it was likely sex that increased testosterone and not the other way around."

Low Testosterone—An Invented Condition?

It's important to realize that all of this fake "low T" advertising is merely a PR strategy to sell an expensive treatment. In 2012, prescription testosterone gels generated over $2 billion in US sales. Abbott Laboratories alone spent $80 million on seductive direct-to-consumer advertising for its testosterone product AndroGel that same year.

According to a survey by CMI/Compass, 63 percent of physicians polled feel that drug ads misinform patients.5 And truly, it's worth keeping in mind that advertising is far from realistic or even truthful in most cases. It's about creating a perceived need where there might not be one, in order to sell a product. As reported by the New York Times:6

"In the view of many physicians, [low testosterone] is in large part an invented condition...

Once a niche treatment for people suffering from hormonal deficiencies caused by medical problems like endocrine tumors or the disruptive effects of chemotherapy, the prescription gels are increasingly being sold as lifestyle products, to raise dipping levels of the male sex hormone as men age."

Many people feel so bad they're willing to take just about anything to feel better. Unfortunately, many fail to realize that that "something" probably isn't a drug treatment. Instead, flagging energy levels may be an indication that you're eating too much processed food. Perhaps you're not exercising enough, or failing to address chronic stress or lack of sleep.

How Stress Affects Your Testosterone Levels

Chronic stress may in fact be a major contributing factor to decreasing testosterone levels. Stress, when chronic and unaddressed, can result in hypercortisolemia, which in and of itself inhibits testosterone production.7 The cortisol produced in response to stress also interferes with your insulin. As described by chiropractor Kyl Smith, D.C.:8

"This is seen when healthy men exhibit fasting plasma glucose concentrations and degrees of insulin resistance that are directly correlated with fasting plasma cortisol concentrations (i.e., when cortisol goes up, insulin goes up, insulin resistance goes up, and insulin sensitivity correspondingly goes down)...

The subject of insulin and insulin sensitivity ties directly into testosterone, as 'testosterone and insulin status are also directly correlated.' Among adult men, the insulin secretion rate and fasting plasma insulin concentration are inversely proportional to serum testosterone concentrations (i.e., high insulin levels are associated with low testosterone and low insulin levels are associated with high testosterone), while whole-body insulin sensitivity is shown to be positively correlated with serum testosterone concentrations.

In other words, in men who have challenges with high postprandial blood sugar levels, simple carbohydrates that evoke an insulin spike/increase will sabotage the production of healthy testosterone." [Emphasis mine]

Testosterone Is Widely Overprescribed

According to the Endocrine Society, which is responsible for setting the clinical guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy, testosterone should only be given to men with persistent symptoms and "unequivocally low testosterone levels," a condition known as hypogonadism. According to a 2012 study9 looking at the sensitivity and specificity of total testosterone (total T) as an indicator of biochemical hypogonadism found that a total T level below 150 ng/dl is indicative of hypogonadism, while levels above 350 ng/dl excludes the condition in most cases.

Despite that, testosterone prescriptions have tripled since 2001, and men in their 40s represent the fastest-growing group of users. Only about half of men taking testosterone have an actual diagnosis of hypogonadism. Even more curious, recent findings10, 11, 12 also indicate that 25 percent of men given a prescription for testosterone did not even have their levels tested prior to receiving a prescription, and of the remaining 75 percent, it was unclear as to how many actually had a testosterone deficiency.

In short, there appears to be an awful lot of men out there taking testosterone who probably shouldn't. Using hormones as a "cure-all" is a risky proposition, especially if your problems are related to lifestyle opposed to an actual medical condition that severely impairs your hormone production. What most men need is really a lifestyle change, in order to optimize their body's natural secretion of testosterone and other hormones.

Recent Research Highlights the Dangers of Testosterone Misuse

According to one recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE, men aged 65 and older who took testosterone DOUBLED their risk of having a heart attack within the first three months of use, even if they did not have heart disease prior to starting the therapy. The result was similar in younger men diagnosed with heart disease. The study was prompted by a 2010 clinical trial that was shut down before completion due to the increase in heart-related problems occurring in the testosterone treatment group.13

Other research14 published earlier this year found that testosterone replacement therapy did not appear to have any positive effects on the cardiovascular health of men who took it, noting that the "cardiovascular risk-benefit profile of testosterone therapy remains largely evasive."

Interestingly, the analysis does suggest that low testosterone and heart disease might both be caused by "poor overall health," as stated by lead researcher, Dr. Johannes Ruige.15 This, again, is why I recommend focusing your efforts on healthy lifestyle strategies such as exercise rather than taking synthetic hormone replacement, the risk/benefit ratio of which is still largely unknown.

The latest results have caused enough concern that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a safety review16 to ascertain the safety of testosterone therapy. In the meantime, the FDA has instructed doctors to "consider whether the benefits of FDA-approved testosterone treatment is likely to exceed the potential risks of treatment."

Lifestyle Factors Influence Your Hormone Levels

Despite the above objections it would seem a more conservative approach would be warranted. While a man's testosterone level does decline with age, starting around the age of 30, there are many other factors that play a role. Think of generations past, when men were active and healthy well into old age. Clearly, it's possible to grow old without losing your "oomph." It really boils down to lifestyle. Diet and exercise are critical factors. But chemical exposures, including prescription drugs like statins, can also play a role by having an adverse effect on your testosterone production. And, as reported in another more recent New York Times17 article:

"Testosterone appears to decline naturally with aging, but internal belly fat depresses the hormone further, especially in obese men. Drugs like steroids and opiates also lower testosterone, and it's suspected that chemicals like bisphenol A (or BPA, commonly found in plastic food containers) and diseases like Type 2 diabetes play a role as well." [Emphasis mine]

Testosterone production follows a similar decline with age as human growth hormone (HGH), illustrated below. Fortunately, your body has a natural ability to optimize hormones, even as you age. It does require you to address important factors such as your diet and exercise, however.

To Raise Your Hormone Levels, Exercise Intensely, But Briefly

Both testosterone and HGH are boosted in response to short, high intensity exercises. I personally do not take any hormone or prohormone supplements. Instead, I've been doing Peak Exercises for just nearly four years now, and at the age of 59, my testosterone and HGH levels are still in the normal ranges for a young adult male without the aid of ANY prescriptions, hormones, and hormone precursor supplements.

Keep in mind that high intensity interval training is the only type of exercise that will help boost your testosterone and HGH levels. A slow one-hour jog will not have this effect, so it's critical to make sure you're exercising correctly if you want to affect your hormone levels. Below is a summary and video demonstration of what a typical high-intensity Peak Fitness routine might look like:

• Warm up for three minutes
• Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. You should feel like you couldn't possibly go on another few seconds
• Recover at a slow to moderate pace for 90 seconds
• Repeat the high intensity exercise and recovery seven more times

///

Weight training will also have a beneficial impact on your testosterone levels. When you use strength training for this purpose, you'll want to increase the weight and lower your number of reps. Focus on doing exercises that work a wider number of muscles, such as squats or dead lifts. You can take your workout to the next level by learning the principles of Super-Slow Weight Training. Whole body vibration training using a Power Plate is yet another effective ancillary method.

Besides raising testosterone and HGH, aerobic exercise in general is known to benefit your heart, in part by promoting the production of beneficial nitric oxide, which helps relax your heart and improves blood flow.18 Recent research also suggests that skin-derived nitric oxide metabolites may also play a key role in heart health by normalizing blood pressure when your skin is exposed to UV rays from the sun19 --yet another reason for making sure you're getting enough sun exposure.

Your Diet Affects Your Testosterone and HGH

While high intensity exercise is perhaps the most effective strategy to raise your testosterone levels, your diet also plays a critical role. First of all, if you're overweight, research shows that simply shedding the excess pounds may increase your testosterone levels.20

Testosterone levels also decrease after you eat sugar. This is likely because sugar and fructose raises your insulin level, which is another factor leading to low testosterone. Ideally, keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day. If you have insulin resistance and are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, you'd be well advised to keep it under 15 grams per day.

The most efficient way to shed excess weight and normalize your insulin levels at the same time is to strictly limit the amount of sugar/fructose and grains in your diet, and replace them with vegetables and healthy fats, such as organic pastured egg yolks, avocado, coconut oil, butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk, and raw nuts. Saturated fats are in fact essential for building testosterone. Research shows that a diet with less than 40 percent of energy as fat (and that mainly from animal sources, i.e. saturated) lead to a decrease in testosterone levels.21 My personal diet is about 70-80 percent healthy fat, and other experts agree that the ideal diet includes somewhere between 50-70 percent fat. I've detailed a step-by-step guide to this type of healthy eating program in my optimized nutrition plan.

Another effective strategy for enhancing both testosterone and HGH release is intermittent fasting. It helps boost testosterone by improving the expression of satiety hormones, like insulin, leptin, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CKK), and melanocortins, which are linked to healthy testosterone function, increased libido, and the prevention of age-induced testosterone decline.

Helpful Supplements

There are also nutritional supplements that can address some of the symptoms commonly associated with low testosterone. Some may even help boost your testosterone levels as well. These include:

• Saw palmetto. Besides addressing symptoms of low testosterone, this herb may also help to actually increase testosterone levels by inhibiting up-conversion to dihydrotestosterone.22 When choosing a saw palmetto supplement, you should be wary of the brand, as there are those that use an inactive form of the plant. According to industry expert Dr. Rudi Moerck, what you want is an organic supercritical CO2 extract of saw palmetto oil, which is dark green in color. Since saw palmetto is a fat-soluble supplement, taking it with eggs will enhance the absorption of its nutrients.
• Astaxanthin in combination with saw palmetto. There is also solid research indicating that if you take astaxanthin in combination with saw palmetto, you may experience significant synergistic benefits. A 2009 study published in theJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition23 found that an optimal dose of saw palmetto and astaxanthin decreased both DHT and estrogen while simultaneously increasing testosterone.
• Ashwagandha. This ancient Indian herb is known as an adaptogen, which can help boost stamina, endurance, and sexual energy. Research published in 201024 found that men taking the herb Ashwagandha experienced a significant increase in testosterone levels.
Ashwagandha also helps promote overall immune function, and can help increase your resistance to occasional stress.25 It also supports healthful levels of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides already in the normal range. While some adaptogens are stimulants in disguise, this is not the case with Ashwagandha. It can give your morning exercise routine a boost, and when taken prior to bed, it can help you get a good night's sleep as well. I recommend using only 100% organic Ashwagandha root, free of fillers, additives, and excipients to ensure quality.

Do You Really Need Testosterone Therapy?  

The take-home message is that taking testosterone if you're otherwise healthy could jeopardize your health for virtually no gain. And, if you're using a topical gel or cream, you're also jeopardizing the health of anyone in your family that you end up having skin to skin contact with. I personally do not use any hormone or prohormone treatments as I've been successful in getting my hormone levels in the healthy young adult range using the protocols described above. However, if you do chose to use hormones, it is really crucial to use bioidentical versions.

I advise using bioidentical hormones like DHEA if you opt for this route. DHEA is a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands, and is one of the most abundant precursor hormones in your body. It's crucial for the creation of testosterone and other sex hormones. However, it's important to monitor your levels and work with an experienced professional before you start using DHEA (or any other hormone, bioidentical or not.) If you use trans-mucosal applications you will likely only need a few milligrams a day, not 50mg, 100mg, or more that is typically used. There are still questions about long-term safety, and there's still the potential for side effects.26

I also recommend trans-mucosal (rectal) application, as this allows for the most effective absorption, and inhibits the production of unwanted metabolites of DHEA. All of that said, I do NOT recommend prolonged supplementation of hormones, even bioidentical ones. Doing so can trick your body into halting its own DHEA production and may cause your adrenals to become impaired.

Your best bet really is to address your diet, and incorporate high intensity exercise into your lifestyle. For even more information on how exercise can be used as a natural testosterone booster, read my article "Testosterone Surge After Exercise May Help Remodel the Mind."

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/02/21/testosterone-prescription.aspx

Go to Healthwise for more articles

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