Whether you are new to the ketogenic diet or considering starting, you may be wondering how this way of eating will affect your hormone levels. Men, in particular, may be wondering how testosterone is affected on keto?
Studies show that testosterone levels in men have plummeted. This isn’t particular to one city or state; it’s happening around the entire country here in the United States.
While factors such as pollution and exposure to environmental estrogens do play a big part, diet and exercise are still the two most important ways to remedy and prevent low testosterone levels. [1]
Does the keto diet help or hurt testosterone levels in men? Let’s explore what testosterone is and how the ketogenic diet might be just the thing you need to naturally increase your t-levels.
Testosterone is a sex-steroid hormone. Both men and women have it, but the body of a man produces up to 15 times more testosterone. While it assists in many bodily processes, testosterone is most notably associated with the following:
Experts agree that when a man has a testosterone level of 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) or below, this is considered low testosterone. It can be influenced by genetics and environment, but lifestyle decisions also play an essential role.
When a man has low testosterone levels, the following symptoms are commonly reported:
Maybe, but it certainly won’t hurt your testosterone levels. Early studies suggest that eating a high-fat diet could promote healthy levels of testosterone. One study found that subjects eating a ketogenic diet produced more muscle mass, burned more fat, and had higher levels of testosterone when compared to those subjects on a high-carbohydrate diet. [3]
Outside of choosing a healthy diet that focuses on whole food options while minimizing or eliminating processed foods, you can do more of the following:
Check out our OK32 system that features 32 days of meal plans and workouts to help you reach your fitness goals of weight loss, muscle building, and testosterone boosting.
Travison TG, Araujo AB, O’Donnell AB, et al. A population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in American men.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:196-202.
Jia H, Sullivan CT, McCoy SC, Yarrow JF, Morrow M, Borst SE. Review of health risks of low testosterone and testosterone administration.World J Clin Cases. 2015;3(4):338–344. doi:10.12998/wjcc.v3.i4.338.
Wilson JM, Lowery RP, Roberts MD, Sharp MH, Joy JM, Shields KA, Partl J, Volek JS, D’Agostino D. The Effects of Ketogenic Dieting on Body Composition, Strength, Power, and Hormonal Profiles in Resistance Training Males. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Apr 7. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001935. [Epub ahead of print]
Vaamonde D, Da Silva-Grigoletto ME, GarcÃa-Manso JM, Barrera N, Vaamonde-Lemos R.Physically active men show better semen parameters and hormone values than sedentary men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 Sep;112(9):3267-73. doi: 10.1007/s00421-011-2304-6. Epub 2012 Jan 11.
R. Leproult, E. Van Cauter. Effect of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011; 305 (21): 2173 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.710