Why Body Fat is Killing Your Testosterone

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I think most men are vaguely aware that testosterone is important to your overall health, but may not be sure why.

If you’re not measuring and tracking your testosterone levels (most guys don’t), then you may not realize how critical this hormone is for your mental health, overall energy levels, physical strength and sex drive.

But testosterone levels in men have been on the decline for decades, and now a 30 year old today has the same level of testosterone as a 50 year old from 20 years ago, a decline of about 1% per year.

So it’s really no surprise that health markers like mental health, energy levels and sex drive, among others, are crashing in men, too.

What causes low testosterone?

Just like most things health-related, there are a lot of factors that cause low testosterone, and they’re all connected.

One major hit to testosterone are environmental toxins, and if you didn’t realize it, those are everywhere.

Air pollution, water pollution, chemicals like fire retardants on fabrics and carpet, “forever chemicals” found in disposable coffee cups, soup cans and non-stick pans.

Believe it or not, toxic “forever chemicals” are all over the paper receipts you get from stores and restaurants. So, have the receipt emailed to you!

Degraded plastics like single use water bottles, clothing made from synthetic materials or other household plastics turn into “microplastics” - microscopic bits of plastic that are inhaled or ingested.

In fact, microplastics are so prevalent that they have been found in semen and urine samples.

These toxins interfere with your body’s ability to either produce, convert or use hormones like testosterone.

Diet is of course a big factor, as we need to give our body the materials it needs to build testosterone, and the Standard American Diet does a pretty poor job of that.

Inflammation and oxidative stress caused by a nutrient poor, high sugar diet also impacts testosterone production and uptake.

One factor that lots of guys may not realize is the effect that body fat has on testosterone levels.

Adipose tissue, or body fat, is a very hormonally active part of your body, and works to aromatize testosterone.

What does that mean?

Aromatization is the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.

Fat tissue produces the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgen hormones like testosterone into estrogen.

So you might be making plenty of testosterone, and have high levels of free testosterone to use, but if you have excessive body fat it is very likely turning that free testosterone into estrogen.

Which look, is what it is supposed to do. At least in small amounts.

But the more fat tissue you have, the more aromatase you make, and the more testosterone gets converted into estrogen.

And the more testosterone that gets converted into estrogen, the more your body favors increasing fat mass.

So along with low testosterone, which negatively impacts things like your energy and sex drive and even hair growth, you become more insulin resistant and more leptin resistant.

What the heck is leptin?

Leptin is your satiety hormone, signaling your brain when you’ve had enough to eat.

So if that signal can’t get through, you can bet you’re probably going to overeat. 

Which, of course, could lead to more fat tissue, more aromatization, lower testosterone.

This is not to say that every guy with higher than average body fat is metabolically unhealthy or has low testosterone.

And not every guy who has lower body fat has high testosterone.

Fat around the midsection is the most problematic, creating high levels of inflammation, which you can have even with lower levels of overall body fat.

But if you’re dealing with issues like low energy, erectile dysfunction, poor mental health or a crappy libido, there’s a good chance your testosterone is low.

How can I improve my testosterone levels?

I’m sure you’ve heard this song before, but it’s one of my favorite tunes:

First and foremost, improving testosterone levels is a matter of lowering chronic inflammation and boosting your metabolism.

This will help you lose fat tissue and become more insulin and leptin sensitive. All good things, right?

Eating a diet of whole, nutrient dense foods like fresh meat, eggs, fish, dairy, legumes, fruits and vegetables is key.

Setting a consistent eating window will tell your body that you’re done taking in energy and it can burn fat once it’s used up all the glucose.

Making sure to move your body on the daily will not only help with fat loss and insulin resistance, but will stimulate testosterone production.

Get plenty of quality sleep, and find ways to destress daily.

Avoiding and removing toxins and plastics from your life will also go a long way. That can take time though, as seemingly everything is made of plastic or coated in chemicals. Look for sustainable, reusable materials like glass, metal or wood without a special non-stick coating.

Once you reduce inflammation and become more insulin sensitive, you start losing body fat, your energy and mood pick up, you start feeling like doing more things, being more active, more engaged with your partner.

You start enjoying your life more. Which is what we all want, right?

I’m here to give you the tools, support and accountability to do just that.

If you’re ready to lose some weight, boost your energy, balance your mood and get your libido back, we should talk.

Set up your free 15 minute call with me today!