Women have testosterone, too, though in significantly lower amounts than men, and it benefits women in many of the same ways it does men. According to the website Alive, both genders experience more energy and muscle tone, better mood and a healthy sex drive when their testosterone is at sufficient levels.
Normal Function
Alive indicates that in premenopausal women, the ovaries and adrenal glands produce testosterone. But as Life Extension Magazine observes, older women are at a disadvantage after menopause when it comes to testosterone production. The hormone peaks in a woman's twenties, then drops about 10 percent with each successive decade. In her sixties, a woman's levels are negligible. There are some indications that exercise might help.
Connection
The connection between testosterone and exercise is mutually beneficial. According to Alive, testosterone builds muscle. In turn, muscle burns more calories than any other part of the human body, approximately 75 percent of your resting metabolic rate or RMR, the calories your body needs just to function. Men naturally lose weight more easily than women because they usually have increased muscle mass, which burns more calories even when they are asleep. Both testosterone and exercise contribute to muscle tone, and since 2001, there have been some indications that exercise increases testosterone, as well, according to Life Extension Magazine.
Research
The website Official Fitness and Health indicates that more research is needed before it can be definitively said that exercise increases testosterone levels in women. However, Life Extension Magazine cites three studies in 2001, 2002 and 2003 that all showed significant increases in testosterone among female subjects after resistance exercise, endurance training and high-impact exercise. The 2003 study of 25 postmenopausal women, ages 53 to 59, showed that even a single exercise session increased their testosterone by almost 20 percent. Performed by W. Kemmler and colleagues at the University of Erlangen and published in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology," the trial found that although the women's testosterone levels returned to baseline levels hours after exercise, the increase in testosterone, however temporary, had health benefits.
Other Benefits
Since fat can hinder the production of testosterone in an otherwise healthy woman, exercise that reduces any percentage of body fat is helpful in maintaining healthy testosterone levels. According to Alive, stress reduces testosterone as well, and exercise can be a stress-buster.
Recommendations
Alive recommends regular exercise of any kind, but suggests that weight-bearing exercise in particular raises testosterone levels in women. The University of Erlangen study, which showed significant increases in testosterone after a single exercise session, supports the benefit of any exercise.
References
- Alive: Women and Testosterone
- Official Fitness and Health: Can You Increase Your Testosterone Level by Exercising?
- "Life Extension" Magazine: Why Aging Women Need Testosterone
- Marquette General Health System: What is "Resting Metabolic Rate?"
- PubMed.gov: Acute Hormonal Responses of a High Impact Physical Exercise Session in Early Postmenopausal Women
