The Prowl

The Student News Site of Weston Ranch High School

The Prowl

The Prowl

Testosterone and You

Testosterone is the one crucial thing that makes a man a man. Normal testosterone helps boys turn into men and helps develop the male body. From body hair to muscle growth, healthy testosterone levels regulate all things manly. Conversely, men and boys with too little testosterone may not experience average masculinization (Harvard Health Publishing 2109). So, you could understand how vital normal levels of testosterone are.

According to Urology Times, “From 1999 to 2016, testosterone levels have declined in adolescent and young adult men (AYA), according to results presented at the 2020 American Urological Association Virtual Experience”. Do you remember your dad, your uncle, or your grandpa being an absolute unit? They can thank testosterone for that. Even with minimal physical training, they were able to look like they lifted weights every day and with ease.

The Urology Times also stated that the investigators used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 1999 to 2016 to analyze serum testosterone level changes in 4045 AYA males. During the study periods, three different assays (Biotin-Streptavidin from 1999-2004, IS-Liquid Chromatography from 2011-2012, and High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry from 2013 onwards) were used. However, they demonstrate comparable testosterone values with only some additional accuracy in the latest modality.

Soum Lokeshwar, MD, MBA, an incoming urology resident at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, said,” We might be facing a decrease in testosterone crisis. Some people say that it’s because of all the “fake food” the younger generation is consuming, but that has not been proven.” According to Lokeshwar, potential causes for these declines could be increased obesity/BMI, assay variations, diet/phytoestrogens, declined exercise and physical activity, fat percentage, marijuana use, and environmental toxins.

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“However, most of these explanations for testosterone deficiency may be attributed to age. This time-dependent decline in testosterone has not been investigated in adolescent and young adult males,” added Lokeshwar, who was at the University Of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, at the time of the study.

There are, of course, ways to fix this problem. Eating raw ginger straight in the morning can help boost your testosterone, even if it’s not by much. Then there is always the easy way out, buying testosterone and injecting it. When you do that, you will become unnatural, not to mention that it costs a lot and the health risks of taking an absurd amount of testosterone.

Testosterone is so much more than its reputation would suggest. Men and women need the proper amount of testosterone to develop and function normally. However, the optimal amount of testosterone is far from clear (Harvard Health Publishing 2019).

 

Sources contributing to this story are:

www.urologytimes.com/view/testosterone-levels-show-steady-decrease-among-young-us-men

www.health.harvard.edu/drugs-and-medications/testosterone–what-it-does-and-doesnt-do

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Testosterone and You