5 foods that lower testosterone levels

Maintaining adequate testosterone levels plays a crucial role in helping men avoid low libido, erectile dysfunction, and weak bone density, not to mention contributing positively to mood, muscle mass, and energy. Those are some powerful motivators to get men looking for what they can do differently to support overall health and healthy testosterone activity in their bodies. In other cases, a small amount of circulating testosterone could be advantageous to men or women. Diet is one of the influencers of this androgen, and you should know what foods and drinks can negatively impact it. While age leads to lower testosterone among men, and you cannot do anything about that, your diet is firmly in your control. We will give you actionable steps that can help.

5 foods that lower testosterone

1. Alcohol

The designation of dietary enemy number one of testosterone likely belongs to alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption, particularly over long periods, has been associated with lower levels of testosterone in multiple studies. Identifying this component of our diet is easy, but curtailing alcohol can be difficult. Talk to your healthcare provider about your desire to cut back on or discontinue alcohol, and ask for advice on how to do so.

2. Bread and pastries

If you are eating lots of white bread and pastries, your testosterone levels could suffer, which puts you at risk of low testosterone (low T) symptoms like low energy levels, sex drive, and strength. A study looking at dietary elements and patterns that impact male hormones found these to be on a short list of offenders. The researchers emphasized that eating out had a negative impact as well, likely as a consequence of the intake of foods high in carbohydrates like these.

3. Desserts

Keeping our attention on simple carbohydrate sources, desserts were another culprit pointed out by the aforementioned dietary trial. You can save yourself some empty calories and potentially avoid lower testosterone concentrations and weight gain by skipping pie, cookies, cake, sodas, or ice cream.

Overall, carbohydrate intake is more complicated to assess. Reducing carbohydrates can assist with weight loss efforts and improve insulin resistance. Low-carbohydrate diets lowered testosterone in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a subject review, and in a review involving men, a low-carbohydrate diet paired with high protein consumption led to lower testosterone levels. Putting this all together, it makes sense to focus on healthy carbohydrate choices, like those with plenty of fiber, rather than drastically cutting out carbs in general if you want to maintain hormonal health.

4. Dairy products

Dairy products were listed in the dietary trial as having a negative influence on androgen levels. This was backed up by a small, short-term study that found that drinking milk from pregnant cows was associated with lower testosterone and higher estrogen levels in men. The authors indicated that high estrogen and progesterone levels in dairy cows are the reason for a connection between dairy intake and low testosterone.

Studies like these naturally raise concern regarding the effects of high amounts of plant-based phytoestrogens, such as the isoflavones found in soy products. While isolated studies have suggested a link to low testosterone, further research, and review have not shown a connection between soy consumption, including soy milk and soy protein, and reduced testosterone.

5. High trans fat foods

French fries, fast food, non-dairy coffee creamer, donuts, baked goods, and pizza are just some of the common foods that contain high concentrations of harmful trans fat. Besides posing a risk to your heart, these foods can be a downer for your testosterone level. A small study in Spain pointed to this harm in young, healthy men. 

Instead, look for sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in vegetable oil, particularly canola and olive oil. Omega-6 fatty acids were associated with higher testosterone levels, and omega-3 fatty acids were linked to larger testicular volume in the study.

As we note that donuts have been indicted as contributing to low testosterone, we have to bring up their frequent sidekick, coffee. Before you look at your cup of Joe negatively, please understand that these potential impacts are not widely recognized in existing research. Higher caffeine intake was noted to be associated with lower sex hormone levels in a 2022 cross-sectional study, but other investigations have not reached this conclusion. You can decide whether you need further confirmation before making a change.

Why might someone want to lower their testosterone levels?

Low T might seem like an obviously negative health attribute. This is not always the case though. In PCOS, lowering testosterone can be beneficial for women. Likewise, for men with prostate cancer, reducing the androgen may have positive effects.

Ways to boost testosterone naturally

If you wish to promote higher male sex hormone levels, you can do more than reducing certain testosterone-killing foods. Testosterone replacement therapy is a pharmacologic method to raise circulating testosterone, and you may want to look into the associated options, adverse effects, expense, and cost-saving opportunities. However, you can also increase foods or lifestyle changes that boost testosterone levels.

• Exercise
• Weight loss if obese
• Balanced diet
• Improved sleep
• Foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids (peanut butter, eggs, avocado, walnuts)
• Dark green vegetables
• Honey
• Vitamin D supplementation

The bottom line

Going overboard with dietary restrictions is not helpful for testosterone regulation. Instead, focus your dietary efforts on getting plenty of cruciferous vegetables, limiting simple sugars, reducing trans fats from processed foods, and avoiding alcohol. Add quality sleep and regular exercise into the mix, and you have a recipe to support healthy testosterone levels.