Testosterone boosters are substances made out of different ingredients which are used to increase testosterone levels in your blood, and there are hundreds of them in the market like Male UltraCore, a male enhancement pill that is claimed to help with stamina and sexual performance.
These boosters are often used by men who have issues with their testosterone levels (hypogonadism), or simply because they want to have a better performance overall. Bodybuilders are famous for getting different types of boosters to help them improve their muscle mass, have more energy, and good mood, among other benefits.
Recently, the big question is: are testosterone boosters bad for you? And that answer will depend on several factors.
Uncontrolled intake of T-boosters may cause hepatic and/or kidney damage.
Some side effects may occur because there’s the possibility that the products are not properly stored or some are from doubtful origins. Even taking the supplements in a continuous cycle can have side effects in men.
A study run by Chalasani et al. (2008), indicates that approximately 13% of the cases linked to acute liver failure were due to idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Death caused by liver failure was linked to some cases.
However, it’s also demonstrated that some supplements work well for your body as long as it’s used under medical observation.
Key: Consult your doctor and check your liver if you want to use testosterone boosters.
Types of testosterone boosters
There are different types of testosterone boosters. Some are natural, like those that you can find in food or plants/roots; supplements, powders, and pills made of different ingredients that are not precisely testosterone but helps you boost your T-levels; injections, which are made of “natural” or synthetic testosterone, and patches, gels or implants.
Let’s start with the naturals.
- Bananas and honey
These are the sweet gods of testosterone. They are composed of minerals (like potassium, and manganese) that will give you a nice energy boost. They also have amino acids, which feed the cells and when converted into nitric oxide will help you improve your blood vessels, causing a better circulation, boosting your energy and feeding your cells properly.
Honey, especially, have more benefits because it helps you with your immune system and it’s said to help fight cancer, although this has not been scientifically proven yet.
- Ashwagandha
This is a millennial Indian root that has been used for centuries to help men with infertility. It is rich in alkaloids, ergostane steroids, amino acids, and neurotransmitter, among other chemical compounds, that makes it a perfect ally to combat diseases and infertility.
In 2013, Ambiye, Vijay, et al. run a study that proved that this root actually helps men with oligospermia, because it showed an improvement of 167% of sperm count and 67% improvement of semen mobility among patients that used ashwagandha.
Let’s learn a bit about pill and powder supplements.
The most important thing to know about these treatments is that they don’t contain testosterone, either in powder or pill. They are just a mix of ingredients (some natural processed, and some chemicals) that interact with your body and when processed by your organs, they improve some of its functions to boost your T-levels.
- Male UltraCore
This supplement would be a nice example. This is a pill, and the developers use a mix of natural ingredients –like ashwagandha, fenugreek, and longjack, and mix it with a Zinc-Magnesium Aspartate complex (chemical) to help your body boost your testosterone levels.
Here comes the pump! Be careful when getting any injected testosterone as it may cause allergies and death in the worst case.
With this warning issued, a testosterone injection contains, well yes, liquid testosterone which is directly injected to your muscle, lowering the impact on your liver unlike with pills and powder.
Although, not everyone is supposed to take the shots because it’s prescribed by a doctor, especially to those men with low testosterone levels. If you’re a healthy man who may experience signs of low testosterone levels, you can always get an appointment with your doctor and talk about your symptoms. After running some blood tests, you might be prescribed with a tailored treatment that includes a blood control to check your T-levels and other organ behavior.
Patches, gels, and implants.
Transdermal treatments or skin patches are prescribed and are used once a day. You put a patch in your upper body, and then you start to absorb it through your skin.
Same happens with gels: apply once a day, and your skin will absorb the testosterone. Although there are some gels that are applied inside your nose.
There are also mouth patches, which are tablets that you put in your gums, and it releases testosterone directly to your bloodstream through oral tissue.
There’s a more advanced method, which is the implants. It’s inserted in your body as pellets, and slowly it releases the testosterone into your bloodstream.
Be careful
Like any treatment, the consumption of testosterone can have side effects on the human body and behavior. The Federal Drugs Agency of the United States of America released an article about some consequences of using these methods irregularly. Besides being linked with liver disease, testosterone supplement abuse can lead to safety risks to your heart, brain, mental health, and endocrine system.
Men can have heart attacks, heart failure, depression, hostility, infertility, irritability, insomnia, low libido and loss of appetite if they abuse of these substances.
