Women Want Strong Men
5 Major Testosterone Disruptors
Testosterone…men need it! Testosterone is the key male sex hormone that regulates fertility, muscle mass, fat distribution, and red blood cell production.
When levels of testosterone drop below levels that are healthy, they can lead to conditions like insulin resistance, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and vascular risk. It contributes to muscle loss, bone loss, and anemia. Symptoms may also include depressed mood, reduced motivation, fatigue, and loss of libido. A substantial body of evidence indicates that coronary artery disease incidence and severity are inversely correlated with testosterone levels.
I sat down with Anna Griffith to discuss a course of action to alleviate low testosterone causes through specific lifestyle changes. In this episode we discuss 5 major testosterone disruptors that she commonly sees in her male patients. We dive into hair loss medications, sleep, plastic, oral testosterone boosters and micronutrients.
Anna Griffith, DNP of Victory Men’s Health is an ANCC Board Certified Nurse Practitioner. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Anna continues her education through a broad array of anti-aging societies such as A4M, AMMG, and Seeds scientific research and performance.
The information discussed in this podcast is not designed to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any condition and it is for informational purposes only.
Links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32033719/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25871957/
Check out Victory Men’s Health and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram.
Access resources featuring Dr. Shanna Swan, including the conversation Amy recommended.
Podcast: Women Want Strong Men
Episode: 5 Major Testosterone Disruptors
Amy’s guest today is Anna Griffith, a nurse practitioner at Victory, who joins the podcast to discuss five specific testosterone disruptors. Before diving into this discussion, though, Anna shares her journey that lead her to be passionate about men’s health, and how men’s health is relevant to her life as a wife, mother of a toddler, and full-time nurse practitioner.
Moving forward, Amy and Anna turn to five often-unnoticed testosterone disruptors. The first of these is Finasteride. Finasteride is a medication used for hair loss. Hormonal issues (often leading to sexual dysfunction) and mental health trouble (specifically depression) are common, and the medication can cause irreversible damage; because of these dangers, Amy and Anna suggest listeners explore different options to treat hair loss!
Next, Amy and Anna discuss the necessity of both sleep and avoiding environmental toxins, first pointing out that sleep disturbance negatively impacts hormones and metabolism. Consistently getting less than 5.5 hours of sleep per night has been tied to significant decrease in testosterone production, and Amy and Anna commend sleep trackers as helpful tools for making sure one’s sleep is adequate. To give listeners a manageable look at the huge issue of environmental toxins, Amy and Anna highlight the dangers of plastic. Plastic exposes people to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Finally, Amy and Anna discuss testosterone boosters and micronutrients. Testosterone boosters are widely available and most often not an effective way to boost your testosterone. Amy’s husband had liver failure from a testosterone booster, and is one of many examples of the unregulated supplement industry. Not all supplements are created equal and purchasing from reputable companies are important. Shifting to micronutrients (including vitamins, antioxidants, etc.), Amy and Anna consider the value of micronutrient testing, ways in which patterns in micronutrient levels can relate to symptoms, and the importance of such micronutrients as zinc and magnesium to testosterone production.
Links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32033719/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25871957/
Check out Victory Men’s Health and connect on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram.
Access resources featuring Dr. Shanna Swan, including the conversation Amy recommended.