The Link Between Birth Control Pills and Depression

Birth control pills are among the most popular forms of contraception in the US, but new research highlights their risks to women's mental health. Artificially manipulating your sex hormones with the synthetic hormones in hormonal contraception could have serious adverse effects, including depression.

October 20, 2016 

Story at-a-glance

• Women who used hormonal birth control had a 40 percent increased risk of developing depression after six months compared to women who did not
• The risk of developing depression after hormonal contraception use was greatest among adolescents
• The use of hormonal birth control was also associated with subsequent use of antidepressant drugs

By Dr. Mercola

Birth control pills are the most popular form of contraception among U.S. women. They're taken by 16 percent of this population, while just over 7 percent use long-acting reversible forms of contraception, such as a hormonal intrauterine device or implant.

What these pills, devices and implants have in common is that they're forms of hormonal birth control — that is, they contain or release synthetic forms of hormones, such as estrogen and progestin (a form of progesterone), which work to prevent pregnancy in various ways.  

The problem is that these sex hormones also affect mood and other biological processes and artificially manipulating them can lead to many unintended consequences in your body, some of them uncomfortable and some quite serious, including altering your mental health.

Birth Control Pills Linked to Depression

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analyzed data from more than 1 million women over a period of 14 years. None of the women, who were between 15 and 34 years of age, had been diagnosed with depression at the start of the study.1

However, the analysis showed that women who used hormonal birth control had a 40 percent increased risk of developing depression after six months compared to women who did not. The risk was greatest among adolescents.

The use of hormonal birth control was also associated with subsequent use of antidepressant drugs. Certain types of hormonal contraception had varying risks. Specifically, the use of:

• Progestin-only pills led to a 1.3-fold higher rate of antidepressant use
• Combined birth control pills led to a 1.2 higher rate
• Transdermal patch led to a 2-fold increased risk
• Vaginal ring led to a 1.5-fold increased risk

Anecdotal Reports Suggest Hormonal Contraceptives Lead to Mood Changes

Lead study supervisor, Dr. Øjvind Lidegaard, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, told CNN:2

"We have known for decades that women's sex hormones estrogen and progesterone have an influence on many women's mood.

Therefore, it is not very surprising that also external artificial hormones acting in the same way and on the same centers as the natural hormones might also influence women's mood or even be responsible for depression development."

Despite this knowledge, many health care professionals are reluctant to suggest that the risks of hormonal birth control may be too steep for some women, especially those with a history of depression.

While scientific validation has yielded some conflicting results, one report in the Oxford Medical Case Reports journal detailed two cases of women with a history of depression who developed depressive symptoms after treatment with hormonal contraceptives (the combined oral contraceptive pill, progestin-only pill and combined contraceptive vaginal ring).3

Case Reports Detail Onset of Depressive Symptoms After Use of Hormonal Contraceptives

In one case, a 31-year-old woman experienced gradual improvement of her depressive symptoms after she stopped using the vaginal ring. However, "a sudden and acute worsening occurred" shortly after she started using a combined birth control pill.

About a month later, she again experienced a worsening of symptoms "almost simultaneously with the initiation of treatment with combined contraceptive vaginal ring." The researchers noted:4

"HC [Hormonal contraception] was again interrupted, with a subsequent clear improvement in depressive symptoms. The patient remained stable without depression for the following [six] months."

In the second case, a 33-year-old woman developed depressive symptoms shortly after starting a progestin-only birth control pill. Her symptoms disappeared completely within one week of stopping the pill. The researchers concluded:5

"Caution should be used when starting up treatment with HC in women diagnosed with depression, since it might in some cases lead to worsening of the depressive symptoms.

Likewise, attention should be paid to the pre-existing use of HC in women who develop depression, as discontinuation of HC might in some cases be sufficient to treat the depression."

Hormonal Contraceptives Are Linked to Glaucoma and Other Health Risks

Women who used oral contraceptives for longer than three years were more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with glaucoma, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness, according to one study.6

The results were so striking that the researchers recommended women taking the pill for three or more years be screened for glaucoma and followed closely by an ophthalmologist.

It might seem unusual that contraceptives could affect your vision, but it's important to understand that there are body-wide repercussions of artificially manipulating your hormones.

Most birth control pills, patches, vaginal rings and implants contain a combination of the derivatives of the hormones estrogen and progestin. They work by mimicking these hormones in your body to fool your reproductive system into producing the following effects:

• Preventing your ovaries from releasing eggs
• Thickening your cervical mucus to help block sperm from fertilizing an egg
• Thinning the lining of your uterus, which makes it difficult for an egg to implant, should it become fertilized

However, your reproductive system does not exist in a bubble. It is connected to all of your other bodily systems, and therefore hormonal contraception is capable of altering much more than your reproductive status.

According to one report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30 percent of women who have used the pill and nearly half of women using other hormonal contraception methods stopped their use due to "dissatisfaction," which was most often caused by side effects.7 Potential health risks include:

Cancer: Women who take birth control pills increase their risk of cervical and breast cancers, and possibly liver cancer as well.	Thinner bones:Women who take birth control pills have lower bone mineral density (BMD) than women who have never used oral contraceptives.	Heart disease:Long-term use of birth control pills may increase plaque artery buildups in your body that may raise your risk of heart disease.
Fatal blood clots: Birth control pills increase your risk of blood clots and subsequent stroke.	Impaired muscle gains: Oral contraceptive use may impair muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.	Long-term sexual dysfunction: The pill may interfere with a protein that keeps testosterone unavailable, leading to long-term sexual dysfunction including decreased desire and arousal.
Migraines	Weight gain and mood changes	Yeast overgrowth and infection

The Pill May Be a Libido Killer

About 15 percent of women taking oral contraceptives report a decrease in libido, likely because they lower levels of sex hormones, including testosterone.8 One study also found seven times the amount of the libido-killing sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) was present in women who took oral contraceptives compared to women who never used the pill.

Even though SHBG levels declined in women who had stopped taking the pill, they still remained three to four times higher than they were in women with no history of using oral contraceptives, which suggests oral contraceptives may kill a woman's libido for the long-term. Researchers concluded:9

"Long-term sexual, metabolic, and mental health consequences might result as a consequence of chronic SHBG elevation [in women who take, or have taken, oral contraceptives]."

Synthetic Hormones in Drinking Water May Be Increasing Cancer Rates in Men

It's not only women who are at risk from synthetic hormones contained in hormonal contraceptives. An analysis of data from 100 countries found oral contraceptive use is associated with prostate cancer, which may be due to exposure to synthetic estrogens excreted by women that end up in the drinking water supply.10

While it's been argued that only a small amount of additional estrogen is excreted by a woman using this form of contraception, this "small amount" is compounded by millions of women, many of whom use the pill for long periods of time. Also, synthetic estrogen and progestin does not biodegrade rapidly and is far harder to remove through conventional water purification systems, resulting in greater accumulation in the environment.

While this study did not prove cause and effect — that is, it did not prove that environmental estrogen from women's oral contraceptive use causes prostate cancer in men — it did find a significant association between the two that deserves further investigation, especially in light of estrogen's well-established role in a wide range of cancers and the prevalence of hormonal contraceptive use.

Non-Hormonal Methods of Contraception

Women and men looking for reversible non-hormonal options of contraception may be surprised to learn that there are many options. Conventional health care providers typically steer patients toward the popular hormonal options, but they are far from the only ones.

Barrier methods, which work by preventing the man's sperm from reaching the woman's egg, include the diaphragm, cervical cap, sponge and male and female condoms. None of these are foolproof, which is why many couples use them in combination with fertility awareness-based methods.

Fertility awareness involves knowing when a woman's fertile period occurs each month, and then avoiding sexual intercourse during (and just prior to) this time (or using a barrier method if you do).

When used consistently and correctly, fertility awareness is highly effective at preventing pregnancy; fewer than 1 to 5 women out of 100 will become pregnant using fertility awareness in this manner.11 In order to track fertility, a number of methods can be used by women, including tracking basal body temperature, mucus production, saliva indicators and cervical position.

Many women use a combination of methods, and there are also commercially available ovulation monitors that can be used in conjunction with the other methods. Ninety-nine percent of U.S. women of reproductive age have used at least one contraceptive method at some point in their lifetime, with 88 percent choosing hormonal options.12

However, you may be relieved to learn that you don't have to subject yourself to the risks of hormonal contraception, or learn to live with the side effects, in order to take control of your reproductive health. An experienced holistic health care provider can help you choose the best non-hormonal contraception options for you.

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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/10/20/birth-control-pills-depression.aspx

Foods for male libido

One of the most important aspects of our health is our sexual health. When men, in particular, start exhibiting problems with their libido, they can then suffer not just from sexual dysfunction, but also from self-esteem issues and possibly a low sense of self-worth. Fortunately, there are natural foods that can help support and activate the male libido. Compiled below are the top 10 most powerful foods that do just that.

Sexual health should not be ignored. This aspect of one’s life is important and should be tended to when problems arise. Sexual healing can be achieved through natural foods such as the ones compiled in the list below.

PUMPKIN SEEDS

Pumpkin seeds, which can be eaten fresh from a pumpkin or purchased on their own, contain high levels of zinc. This is very important to produce more testosterone. Deficiency of this important hormone can lead to intimacy issues. Pumpkin seeds are also rich with omega-3 fatty acids. This component is essential for your overall sexual health. The tasty pumpkin seed also contains other libido vitamins, such as vitamins B, C, D, E and K, as well as other minerals like potassium, calcium, niacin and phosphorous. Do not overlook the power of this potent seed because this can help boost your arousal.(1)

WATERMELON

If you are searching for a sweet libido stimulator, then all you need is a slice of watermelon. Yes, it’s 92% water. However, this fruit is filled with essential nutrients that can boost the sexual performance of both men and women. Watermelon has “Viagra-like effects” that boost libido. It also has rich levels of a phytonutrient known as citrulline, which is converted by the body to arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that increases the nitric oxide levels in the body. This, together with its lycopene content, relaxes the blood vessels the way Viagra does. It amazingly supercharges your stamina and allows you to feel every ecstatic sensation better.(2)

GINSENG

Ginseng can also greatly improve sexual performance. A clinical study by the University of Hawaii supports this claim. Ginsenoside extracts trigger sexual health. There are many products and supplements which claim they contain real ginseng content. However, be careful because not all ginseng products can be trusted. Choose high quality ginseng supplements or just eat fresh ginseng. You can also simply drink ginseng tea. Some energy drinks may brag about their product’s ginseng power, but most of these products are just full of sugar which can do more harm than good. Again, choose your brand wisely to avoid fraudulent ginseng products which may only further damage your health. Pick the right product and see for yourself how ginseng helps you to maximize your libido.(3)

MACA

Maca is among the group of newly discovered superfoods which can effectively alleviate impotency. Maca has the power to boost sperm count as well as increase the testosterone production for men. It is also known as Peru’s organic Viagra. This natural root increases energy, stamina, strength, libido and fertility. This powerful combination intensifies sexual urge and helps couples enjoy their improved intimacy. Maca is now available in local food stores, so you should start checking out this effective aphrodisiac.(1)

BANANAS

Bananas have an enzyme called bromelain that is vital to enhance a man’s sexual performance. This enzyme is also in pineapple. Pineapples, by the way, are also a great source of vitamin B which can increase the energy levels of the body as well as increase the production of sex hormones. Bananas do not contain cholesterol, so it does not harm the blood flow that can indirectly impact erectile function. This gives men the libido boost they need to enjoy a lovely night.(1)

CELERY

Celery is another sexual stimulator that can give rise to a potent substance called androsterone, which is a relatively odorless aphrodisiac in male’s perspiration. It boosts the pheromone levels in men’s sweat which can make them more attractive to the women. Buy organic celery to get rid of toxic chemicals that might mess with your libido boost. Eat organic celery and get ready to raise your virility and masculinity. With organic celery, you are sure to give a boost to your sexual stimulation.(1)

AVOCADO

Avocado helps both men and women improve their libido. Avocados are full of folic acid which can drive the body’s sexual energy up. Avocados metabolize protein production effectively. Avocados are rich in vitamin B6, a known hormone regulator. These green fruits contain fatty acids, potassium, and vitamin E and B6 which can boost the hormone production in males. Your sexual responses will improve once these sexual stimulators are ingested.(2, 4)

OYSTERS

Oysters have long been considered a love drug. Oysters can boost the dopamine levels which can drive the libido up for men and women alike. Oysters are also very rich in zinc that activates the testosterone production and increases sperm count. Ideally, you should eat oysters raw; however, you should be aware of health risks from Vibrio vulnificusbacteria.(2)

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus has high levels of vitamin E which is a potent nutrient to fuel a good sex life. It is a legendary aphrodisiac that also is rich in folate and vitamin B6. Its folic acid content has the potential to stir up lust in both men and women. It also stimulates the production of histamine. If you lack histamine in your body, you are unlikely to reach an orgasmic state. Thus, histamine-rich asparagus is of utmost importance. It has the potential to more effectively boost orgasm and trigger sexual arousal. Even if you are not really fond of this food, now is the perfect time to become an avid fan.(2, 4)

BROCCOLI

Whether eaten raw or cooked, broccoli is a powerful vegetable that can help you whenever you want to supercharge your sexual fuel. Broccoli contains vitamin C which helps the body’s blood circulation flow toward vital organs. It also has indole-3-carbinol which decreases the estrogen levels in men. Broccoli surprisingly can do wonders to power up your sexual energy and stamina.(3)

A man’s libido can slow down if one is not getting the right nutrition that the body requires. Deficiencies in the necessary vitamins and minerals can lead to feelings of depression, fatigue and low energy levels that can block the way of passionate intimacy among couples. When sexual performance problems come up, it can put a real damper on a couple’s relationship. In some cases, sexual performance issues can even hurt the couple’s romantic relationship. If you want to keep your sexual energy high and if you want your bedroom to continually be put to use, you should take some time to consider perfecting your diet in a way that is geared towards an overall boost in your libido and in your sex life. The foods in our top 10 list are just some of the many libido-boosting items that can help you get rid of your erection problems. It would be ideal if you pair this up with maintaining a regular exercise, so you can see considerable difference in your overall sexual drive. For other libido-enhancing foods click here.(5)

Sources:

1. NaturalNews.com
2. OrganicAuthority.com
3. FitnessMagazine.com
4. DailyStar.co.uk5. NaturalNews.com

http://natural.news/2015-08-21-foods-for-male-libido.html


This post is on Healthwise

5 Natural Ways to Boost Your Sex Drive

Here are some ways to boost your desire without the nasty side effects of drugs:

November 27, 2008


Here are some ways to boost your desire without the nasty side effects of drugs:

1. Exercise: Aerobic workouts improve blood flow to sex organs, and they can also boost your mood, pumping up "feel good" brain chemicals called endorphins. The increase in testosterone levels that arrives about one hour after working out can also leave you feeling sexier.

2. Relax: Too much stress increases the stress hormone cortisol, which causes testosterone to plummet.

3. Add a Little Novelty: Recent research shows that partaking in new and challenging experiences with your partner can boost the brain chemical dopamine, which helps fuel sex drive. This doesn't even need to be in the bedroom -- anything new is a good idea.

4. Consider Some Non-Drug Remedies: Ginkgo biloba has been used to treat sexual dysfunction. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) could be useful, since it's critical for the manufacture of sex hormones in the adrenal glands. Choline may help to enhance levels of acetylcholine, a brain chemical that sends sexual impulses from your brain to your sex organs.

5. Inhale: Certain scents are known to be attractive, including the sweat of your partner.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/27/5-natural-ways-to-boost-your-sex-drive.aspx

Go to Healthwise for more articles

Testosterone Can Help Female Sex Drive

Testosterone, a hormone usually associated with being male, can be used to treat reduced libido in menopausal women.

This post is on Healthwise

January 02, 2008

Testosterone, a hormone usually associated with being male, can be used to treat reduced libido in menopausal women. 

Testosterone supplements restored libido in some premenopausal women whose surgically removed ovaries forced them into early menopause. 

Testosterone is normally produced in small amounts by the ovaries and adrenal glands in premenopausal women. But during menopause, the ovaries' production of hormones falls off -- and that includes testosterone output. Some researchers believe that this decrease in testosterone affects the menopausal woman's sex drive. 

Testosterone treatment has drawbacks women should consider testosterone as a last resort. 

There are few long-term studies of the use of testosterone in women, and the potential side effects include acne, unwanted facial hair, oily skin, depression, irritability and irreversible deepening of the voice. 

Testosterone in pill form has been associated with lowered HDL cholesterol (the good" cholesterol), and liver damage is also a potential side effect. 

Natural progesterone cream should be initially tried as that will frequently restore libido levels after several months.

Prevention (July 1997), Maturitas (April 1995)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/female-sex-drive.aspx

Go to Healthwise for more articles

9 Body Hacks to Naturally Increase Testosterone

• Beginning around age 30, a man’s testosterone levels begin to decline, and continue to do so as he ages, leading to symptoms such as decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depressed mood, and difficulties with concentration and memory

This post is on Healthwise

July 27, 2012

Story at-a-glance

• Beginning around age 30, a man’s testosterone levels begin to decline, and continue to do so as he ages, leading to symptoms such as decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depressed mood, and difficulties with concentration and memory
• Dietary and exercise changes, particularly limiting sugar/fructose, eating healthy saturated fats and engaging in high-intensity exercises and strength training, can be very effective at boosting testosterone levels naturally
• Other strategies to boost testosterone include optimizing your vitamin D levels and reducing stress

By Dr. Mercola

Testosterone, a hormone produced primarily by the testicles, is often associated with the epitome of "manhood" (although women have testosterone, too).

Indeed, it does play a large role in male sexuality and reproduction, impacting such factors as sexual and reproductive function, muscle mass, and hair growth, but also has some less "flashy," albeit equally important, roles like maintaining bone density, levels of red blood cells and a sense of well-being.

Beginning around age 30, a man's testosterone levels begin to decline, and continue to do so as he ages.

A wide range of chemical exposures included prescribed drugs like statins, adversely impact testosterone production in men. At the same time, estrogen levels typically increase due to widespread exposures to estrogen-mimicking compounds in food, water and environmental pollutants.

What are Your Options for Replacement?

If you're a man who's experiencing symptoms such as decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depressed mood, and difficulties with concentration and memory, and you think low testosterone may be to blame, you can have your levels tested. Since testosterone levels fluctuate throughout the day, you'll probably need more than a blood test to get a true picture of your levels.

If your levels are indeed low, there are a number of synthetic and bioidentical testosterone products on the market, as well as DHEA, which is the most abundant androgen precursor prohormone in the human body, meaning that it is the largest raw material your body uses to produce other vital hormones, including testosterone in men and estrogen in women.

I only recommend using bioidentical hormones, and only then under the guidance of a holistic doctor who can monitor your hormone levels to ensure you need supplementation.

But, before you opt for this route, there are numerous strategies you can try to boost your testosterone levels naturally. These are appropriate for virtually anyone, as they carry only beneficial "side effects."

9 Ways to Naturally Increase Testosterone Levels

1.   Lose Weight

If you're overweight, shedding the excess pounds may increase your testosterone levels, according to research presented at the Endocrine Society's 2012 meeting. Overweight men are more likely to have low testosterone levels to begin with, so this is an important trick to increase your body's testosterone production when you need it most.

If you are serious about losing weight, you have got to strictly limit the amount of processed sugar in your diet, as evidence is mounting that excess sugar, and fructose in particular, is the primary driving factor in the obesity epidemic. So cutting soda from your diet is essential, as is limiting fructose found in processed foods, fruit juice, excessive fruit and so-called "healthy" sweeteners like agave.

Ideally you should keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day and this includes fruits. This is especially true if you have insulin resistance and are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

In addition to eliminating or severely limiting fructose, it will be vital to eliminate all grains and milk (even raw) in your diet. Milk has a sugar called lactose, which has been shown to increase insulin resistance so it will be wise to avoid it if you are seeking to lose weight.

Refined carbohydrates like breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles, pretzels, and most other processed foods also quickly break down to sugar, increase your insulin levels, and cause insulin resistance, which is the number one underlying factor of nearly every chronic disease and condition known to man, including weight gain.

As you cut these dietary troublemakers from your meals, you need to replace them with healthy substitutes like vegetables and healthy fats (including natural saturated fats!). Your body prefers the carbohydrates in micronutrient-dense vegetables rather than grains and sugars because it slows the conversion to simple sugars like glucose, and decreases your insulin level. When you cut grains and sugar from your meals, you typically will need to radically increase the amount of vegetables you eat, as well as make sure you are also consuming protein and healthy fats regularly.

I've detailed a step-by-step guide to this type of healthy eating program in my comprehensive nutrition plan, and I urge you to consult this guide if you are trying to lose weight.

The foods you choose to eat will be the driving force behind successfully achieving your weight loss goals -- high-intensity, short-burst-type exercises, such as my Peak Fitness Program, two to three times per week, combined with a comprehensive fitness plan, is important too, and has an additional benefit as well (see below)!

2.   High-Intensity Exercise like Peak Fitness (Especially Combined with Intermittent Fasting)

Both intermittent fasting and short intense exercise have been shown to boost testosterone.

Short intense exercise has a proven positive effect on increasing testosterone levels and preventing its decline.

That's unlike aerobics or prolonged moderate exercise, which have shown to have negative or no effect on testosterone levels.

Intermittent fasting boosts testosterone by increasing the expression of satiety hormones including insulin, leptin, adiponectin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), colecystokinin (CKK) and melanocortins, all of which are known to potentiate healthy testosterone actions, increase libido and prevent age-related testosterone decline.

Having a whey protein meal after exercise can further enhance the satiety/testosterone-boosting impact (hunger hormones cause the opposite effect on your testosterone and libido). Here's a summary 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 7 more times

As you can see, the entire workout is only 20 minutes. Twenty minutes! That really is a beautiful thing. And within those 20 minutes, 75 percent of that time is warming up, recovering or cooling down. You're really only working out intensely for four minutes. It's hard to believe if you have never done this that you can actually get that much benefit from four minutes of exercise. That's all it is.

Keep in mind that you can use virtually any type of equipment you want for this – an elliptical machine, a treadmill, swimming, even sprinting outdoors (although you will need to do this very carefully to avoid injury) -- as long as you're pushing yourself as hard as you can for 30 seconds. But do be sure to stretch properly and start slowly to avoid injury. Start with two or three repetitions and work your way up, don't expect to do all eight repetitions the first time you try this, especially if you are out of shape.

You can find more information about this in an article previously written on intermittent fasting.

3.   Consume Plenty of Zinc

The mineral zinc is important for testosterone production, and supplementing your diet for as little as six weeks has been shown to cause a marked improvement in testosterone among men with low levels.1 Likewise, research has shown that restricting dietary sources of zinc leads to a significant decrease in testosterone, while zinc supplementation increases it2 -- and even protects men from exercised-induced reductions in testosterone levels.3

It's estimated that up to 45 percent of adults over the age of 60 may have lower than recommended zinc intakes; even when dietary supplements were added in, an estimated 20-25 percent of older adults still had inadequate zinc intakes, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.4

Your diet is the best source of zinc; along with protein-rich foods like meats and fish, other good dietary sources of zinc include raw milk, raw cheese, beans, and yogurt or kefir made from raw milk. It can be difficult to obtain enough dietary zinc if you're a vegetarian, and also for meat-eaters as well, largely because of conventional farming methods that rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals deplete the soil of nutrients ... nutrients like zinc that must be absorbed by plants in order to be passed on to you.

In many cases, you may further deplete the nutrients in your food by the way you prepare it. For most food, cooking it will drastically reduce its levels of nutrients like zinc … particularly over-cooking, which many people do.

If you decide to use a zinc supplement, stick to a dosage of less than 40 mg a day, as this is the recommended adult upper limit. Taking too much zinc can interfere with your body's ability to absorb other minerals, especially copper, and may cause nausea as a side effect.

4.   Strength Training

In addition to Peak Fitness, strength training is also known to boost testosterone levels, provided you are doing so intensely enough. When strength training to boost testosterone, you'll want to increase the weight and lower your number of reps, and then focus on exercises that work a large number of muscles, such as dead lifts or squats.

You can "turbo-charge" your weight training by going slower. By slowing down your movement, you're actually turning it into a high-intensity exercise. Super Slow movement allows your muscle, at the microscopic level, to access the maximum number of cross-bridges between the protein filaments that produce movement in the muscle.

5.   Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D, a steroid hormone, is essential for the healthy development of the nucleus of the sperm cell, and helps maintain semen quality and sperm count. Vitamin D also increases levels of testosterone, which may boost libido. In one study, overweight men who were given vitamin D supplements had a significant increase in testosterone levels after one year.5

Vitamin D deficiency is currently at epidemic proportions in the United States and many other regions around the world, largely because people do not spend enough time in the sun to facilitate this important process of vitamin D production.

So the first step to ensuring you are receiving all the benefits of vitamin D is to find out what your levels are using a 25(OH)D test, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

A few years back, the recommended level was between 40 to 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), but more recently the optimal vitamin D level has been raised to 50-70 ng/ml.

To get your levels into the healthy range, sun exposure is the BEST way to optimize your vitamin D levels; exposing a large amount of your skin until it turns the lightest shade of pink, as near to solar noon as possible, is typically necessary to achieve adequate vitamin D production. If sun exposure is not an option, a safe tanning bed (with electronic ballasts rather than magnetic ballasts, to avoid unnecessary exposure to EMF fields) can be used.

As a last resort, a vitamin D3 supplement can be taken orally, but research suggests the average adult needs to take 8,000 IU's of vitamin D per day in order to elevate their levels above 40 ng/ml, which is the absolute minimum for disease prevention.

6.   Reduce Stress

When you're under a lot of stress, your body releases high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone actuallyblocks the effects of testosterone,6 presumably because, from a biological standpoint, testosterone-associated behaviors (mating, competing, aggression) may have lowered your chances of survival in an emergency (hence, the "fight or flight" response is dominant, courtesy of cortisol).

In the modern world, chronic stress, and subsequently elevated levels of cortisol, could mean that testosterone's effects are blocked in the long term, which is what you want to avoid.

My favorite overall tool to manage stress is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), which is like acupuncture without the needles. It's a handy, free tool for unloading emotional baggage quickly and painlessly, and so easy that even children can learn it. Other common stress-reduction tools with a high success rate include prayer, meditation, laughter and yoga, for example. Learning relaxation skills, such as deep breathing and positive visualization, which is the "language" of the subconscious.

When you create a visual image of how you'd like to feel, your subconscious will understand and begin to help you by making the needed biochemical and neurological changes.

7.   Limit or Eliminate Sugar from Your Diet

Testosterone levels decrease after you eat sugar, which is likely because the sugar leads to a high insulin level, another factor leading to low testosterone.7

Based on USDA estimates, the average American consumes 12 teaspoons of sugar a day, which equates to about TWO TONS of sugar during a lifetime.

Why we eat this much sugar is not difficult to understand -- it tastes good, and it gives us pleasure by triggering an innate process in your brain via dopamine and opioid signals.

What it is doing to us on both a physical and emotional level is another story entirely, and most people stand to reap major improvements in their health by cutting back on, or eliminating, sugar altogether from their diets. Remember foods that contain added sugar and fructose, as well as grains like bread and pasta, should all be limited.

If you're struggling with sugar addiction and having trouble dealing with cravings, I highly recommend trying an energy psychology technique called Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick their sweet habit, and it should work for any type of sweet craving you may have.

8.   Eat Healthy Fats

By healthy, this means not only mon- and polyunsaturated fats, like that found in avocadoes and nuts, but also saturated, as these are 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.8

My personal diet is about 60-70 percent healthy fat, and other experts agree that the ideal diet includes somewhere between 50-70 percent fat.

It's important to understand that your body requires saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (such as meat, dairy, certain oils, and tropical plants like coconut) for optimal functioning, and if you neglect this important food group in favor of sugar, grains and other starchy carbs, your health and weight are almost guaranteed to suffer. Examples of healthy fats you can eat more of to give your testosterone levels a boost include:

Olives and Olive oil	Coconuts and coconut oil	Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Raw nuts, such as, almonds or pecans	Organic pastured egg yolks	Avocados
Grass-fed meats	Palm oil	Unheated organic nut oils

9.   Boost Your Intake of Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) from Foods Like Whey Protein

Research suggests that BCAAs result in higher testosterone levels, particularly when taken along with resistance training.9 While BCAAs are available in supplement form, you'll find the highest concentrations of BCAAs like leucine in dairy products – especially quality cheeses and whey protein.

Even when getting leucine from your natural food supply, it's often wasted or used as a building block instead of an anabolic agent. So to create the correct anabolic environment, you need to boost leucine consumption way beyond mere maintenance levels.

That said, keep in mind that using leucine as a free form amino acid can be highly counterproductive as when free form amino acids are artificially administrated, they rapidly enter your circulation while disrupting insulin function, and impairing your body's glycemic control. Food-based leucine is really the ideal form that can benefit your muscles without side effects.

What to Read Next:

What the Science Says About Intermittent Fasting

This Interval Training Infographic Helps You Pick the Right Workout

How Strength Training Can Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/07/27/increase-testosterone-levels.aspx

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