Coffee is known not only for its stimulating effects but also for its many health benefits. It may help protect you from certain diseases like type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases. Plus, it’s good for your brain health and cognitive function, and can even protect you from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
But what about its effects on testosterone production? Men have one more reason to love their cup of joe. It may be helpful in boosting your testosterone levels. Read on and find out what science has to say about coffee’s testosterone-boosting effects.
Coffee and Testosterone Levels in Men
Back in the 1990s, a lot of scientific studies on coffee focused on its correlation with other substances like alcohol and tobacco, and how they affected male fertility and reproductive health.
Of course, if you’re a heavy smoker and drinker, you would most likely suffer a lot of negative health consequences and your reproductive system wouldn’t be in such a great condition either. And that’s why many people believed that coffee is bad for male fertility and sexual function.
In the early 2000s, however, scientific evidence regarding the positive health effects of coffee started accumulating. That was when researchers started to find a positive relationship between coffee consumption and testosterone levels in men.
Scientists often cite a study conducted in 2003 which involved more than 1,500 men. The study’s results revealed that there’s a positive association between coffee consumption and total testosterone levels in men.
This was validated by a 2008 study wherein the researchers observed a 14% higher concentration of testosterone among men with a high coffee intake as compared to men with low caffeine intake.
The researchers also found that when pregnant mothers drink 4-7 cups of coffee daily, it can cause their male child to have low testosterone levels. The men who were exposed to coffee while they were still in the womb also tended to have a low semen volume.
In a 2012 study, researchers compared the effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated instant coffee on sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The authors noted that in men who consumed caffeinated coffee, there was an increase in total testosterone levels and a decrease in estradiol levels.
Effective Ways to Boost Testosterone
If you want to produce more testosterone, you can’t just rely on coffee all the time. It’s a good thing that there are many ways to boost your production of testosterone. For one, you can switch to a healthy diet so that your body will have a sufficient supply of the nutrients you need to synthesize testosterone.
Oysters, beans, nuts, and other shellfish can help you prevent zinc deficiency. If you suffer from extremely low levels of zinc, not only will your overall health suffer, but you can also end up developing hypogonadism. And that means your body won’t be producing enough testosterone at all.
Your body also needs magnesium for proper testosterone production, so you’ll need to double down on magnesium-rich foods like spinach, kale, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, and lentils.
In addition, you’ll also need to increase your consumption of foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids. The human body doesn’t produce this fatty acid endogenously, so you’ll need to get it from dietary sources like trout, salmon, sardines, and other fatty fish.
Aside from improving your diet, you should also exercise more. Numerous studies have time and again verified that exercising regularly increases your testosterone levels. Plus, working out can help you manage your weight better.
Men who are overweight or obese, especially those who have a lot of belly fat, tend to have low testosterone levels. That’s because the fat in your visceral area causes increased aromatase activity. Aromatase is the enzyme that converts your free testosterone into estradiol. High aromatase activities result in low free testosterone and high estrogen levels.
You should also make sure that you don’t skimp on sleep. Testosterone production actually fluctuates, and it peaks while you’re sleeping. That’s why men who have sleep problems tend to have low levels of testosterone. Restricted sleep and sleep deprivation, even for just several days, can also lead to drastic drops in testosterone levels.
Herbal Testosterone Boosters
Aside from a healthy lifestyle, taking herbal supplements can also help you with your testosterone problems. In fact, there are several herbs that are scientifically proven to help raise testosterone levels, either by inhibiting aromatase activities or by facilitating increased testosterone production.
For instance, fenugreek is known for its aromatase-inhibiting effects. If you’re planning to lose weight to raise your testosterone levels, you should take a fenugreek supplement. Not only does this herb increase free testosterone levels, but it also helps you lose weight and even protects you against type 2 diabetes.
Tongkat Ali, Ashwagandha, and Tribulus terrestris are also proven to really improve testosterone levels in men. In fact, these three herbs are quite popular for their sex-enhancing effects which are primarily attributed to their testosterone-boosting properties.
Tongkat Ali, for example, is known to have direct effects on your testicular cells. Your Leydig cells are the ones that are responsible for testicular production of testosterone. Research indicates that Tongkat Ali stimulates your Leydig cells, which then results in increased production of testosterone.
Similarly, Ashwagandha and Tribulus terrestris are also known for their positive effects on testicular and erectile function. These herbs are actually known to have aphrodisiac and libido-enhancing effects on top of their testosterone-boosting properties.
Not only that, if you’re suffering from erectile dysfunction because of extremely low testosterone levels, you can count on Tongkat Ali, Tribulus terrestris, and Ashwagandha to improve your erectile function.
The Bottom Line
Although coffee is a great way to boost your testosterone levels, there are many other steps you can take to really increase your testosterone production, as well as normalize your free testosterone levels.
A healthy lifestyle is, of course, crucial. But you can further improve your testosterone levels by taking herb-based dietary supplements, especially the ones that contain Tribulus terrestris, Ashwagandha, fenugreek, and Tongkat Ali.
