Male hormone health risk warning analysis report

Among men aged 25-45 in my country, nearly 62% of men whose testosterone declines far exceed the medical benchmark of 1% per year, and 87% of the causes of decline are non-pathological - to put it bluntly, they are caused by their daily habits. There is no need to be overly anxious about blindly supplementing hormones, and don't use "age" as an excuse to let it go. The effectiveness of early intervention can be more than 90%.

I just received a consultation from a 32-year-old Internet product manager last month. When he first came here, his eyes were drooping. He said that in the past six months, he not only worked overtime until 10 o'clock, but he couldn't bear it anymore. He even saved up for half a month to pretend to go out with his wife. When he walked to the entrance of the scenic spot, he felt tired and wanted to go back to the hotel to lie down. The fat on his belly had gained 15 pounds, and he had lost none after three months of weight loss. He secretly bought a bottle of "testicle-stimulating medicine" worth more than 200 yuan. After taking it for half a month, he broke out in acne, but his morning erections became less frequent. He hurriedly went to check his hormones. The total testosterone was 281ng/dl, which was 5 units lower than the normal lower limit. The doctor told him that it was not pathological, so there was no need to prescribe medicine, and he could just go back and adjust his work and rest. He still felt aggrieved: How could I have time to adjust?

I have seen 19 cases of this kind in the past six months, ranging in age from 27 to 42. They all appear to have no serious illness, but they are "unmotivated" and have no interest in anything. They are either classified as "midlife crisis" or blindly looking for supplements. In fact, the core problem is that testosterone levels have dropped.

Now regarding the intervention of low testosterone, the two groups are quarreling fiercely. There is no absolute right or wrong, it all depends on the applicable scenario. The standard of traditional endocrinology is very stuck: total testosterone is less than 300ng/dl, and accompanied by obvious symptoms of low testosterone, further examination will be considered, and only after testicular lesions and hypothalamic problems are ruled out, low-dose testosterone replacement will be prescribed. It is absolutely not recommended for healthy people to take supplements casually. However, the trend in the fitness circle in recent years is that "the higher the testosterone, the better". Many people think that if the testosterone level is less than 400, they should take testosterone-stimulating supplements, and even buy black market testosterone injections themselves, thinking that this will increase muscle faster and increase energy.

I've seen a lot of people fall into the trap of both factions. There is a 41-year-old corporate executive whose total testosterone has dropped to 240ng/dl. He still refuses to see a doctor, saying that "it's a poisonous medicine." He insists on taking maca soaked in wolfberry for half a year. The final physical examination revealed that his bone density is 20% lower than that of his peers. The doctor said that if he continues to delay, he may suffer from osteoporosis. There is also a 29-year-old fitness blogger. In order to prepare for a competition, he took testosterone enanthate for three months. His muscles increased a lot. After he stopped taking the injection, his testosterone secretion dropped directly to 110ng/dl. He lost his hair and lost his sexual desire. It took him almost a year to adjust to return to normal levels. The gain outweighed the loss.

Don’t always use morning erections as the only criterion for judging testosterone levels. That thing is greatly affected by sleep and the frequency of recent sexual life. The more reliable signals are actually things you don’t usually think about: such as the basketball you loved to play in the past, and the drinking games you loved to play. Now you feel tired even if I call you, you feel impatient even to watch the dramas you used to love, you get irritable after sitting for a while, the fat on your belly is soft and can't be tightened even after practicing for a long time, and even inexplicable depression and hair loss may be related to long-term low testosterone. If you are really unsure, go get a hormone check-up. It costs a few dozen dollars, which is much more reliable than buying supplements worth hundreds of dollars.

I have previously tracked 17 users whose testosterone was slightly lower than the normal value. I did not let any of them take supplements, but adjusted their lifestyles. After 3 months, the total testosterone of 12 people returned to the normal range, with the highest increase of 147ng/dl. In fact, the content of the adjustment may seem simple to you: resistance training for large muscle groups twice a week, such as squats, deadlifts, and chest presses, for 40 minutes each time. Don’t train until you can’t stand up. Overtraining will cause cortisol to soar and suppress testosterone. ； Don’t stay up late for more than 2 days in a row. Even if you go to bed late, try to fix the time you go to bed and wake up. Don’t go to bed at 10 o’clock today and go to bed at 3 o’clock tomorrow. ； The abdominal circumference should not exceed half of your height. For example, if you are 175cm, it is best not to exceed 87.5cm. The fact that visceral fat is a testosterone killer is really not a lie. ； And don’t eat milk tea and fried skewers with non-dairy creamer every day. Trans fat will directly affect the synthesis of sex hormones. Of course, there are also 5 users who had no improvement after 3 months of adjustment. Later, they went to the hospital for investigation and found out that it was caused by varicocele or abnormal thyroid function. After corresponding treatment, the indicators came up quickly, so don’t just make up for it blindly. Find out the cause first.

In fact, many people's anxiety about testosterone nowadays is essentially about "masculinity" and "energy". It seems that low testosterone means failure. In fact, it is really unnecessary. It is just an ordinary hormone indicator, just like your blood sugar and blood pressure. It is not good if it is too high or too low. Don’t use “middle-aged people have no choice” as a shield, and don’t believe those scams on the Internet about “testicle-boosting magic pills” and “testosterone rejuvenation shots.” After all, your body is your own, and you have to bear the problems you create by messing around in the end.