Found in both women and men, testosterone is primarily a male hormone that is responsible for several internal functions, including sperm production, muscle strength and bone growth. Testosterone levels start to drop after the age of 30. Besides performing resistance training, another way to increase testosterone production is by incorporating certain foods into your daily diet.
Sweet Potatoes
In findings reported in the 2004 issue of the journal "Clinical Endocrinology," researchers examined the impact of nutritional supplementation on growth and puberty in constitutionally delayed children. They found that children taking vitamin A supplementation for six months experienced increases in testosterone comparable to children receiving testosterone therapy treatment. Increase vitamin A foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, milk and liver in your diet.
Salmon
Researchers from Wayne State University School of Medicine investigated the relationship between zinc status and testosterone levels, according to research reported in the 1996 issue of the journal of "Nutrition." Scientists observed that healthy young men restricting zinc intake experienced a significant decrease in testosterone levels whereas elderly men deficient in zinc experienced a significant increase in testosterone after six months of zinc supplementation. Zinc rich foods include salmon, beef, oysters, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and peanuts.
Yogurt
In research reported in the 2008 issue of the journal "Biological Trace Element Research," Vedat Cinar led a team of researchers who studied the impact of calcium supplementation on testosterone levels. Non-exercising subjects and exercising subjects both received calcium supplementation for four weeks. Participants' testosterone levels were measured before and after the study. At the end of the study, researchers discovered that calcium supplementation increased testosterone in both groups. Furthermore, exercising subjects experienced greater increases in testosterone levels compared to non-exercising subjects. Include calcium-rich foods such as yogurt, milk, salmon, spinach and sardines in your daily diet.
References
- PubMed: Vitamin A and Iron Supplementation Is as Efficient as Hormonal Therapy in Constitutionally Delayed Children
- PubMed: Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults
- Biological Trace Element Research: Testosterone Levels in Athletes at Rest and Exhaustion: Effects of Calcium Supplementation
