Vitamin D and Testosterone

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in testosterone production. A deficiency of vitamin D may increase aromatization of testosterone to estrogen. If you are trying to maximize your testosterone levels this is a very bad thing. We also know vitamin D deficiency is soaring in the United States in large part due to a lack of sun. In fact, deficiency could be as high as 77% according to one recent study. (1) Does Vitamin D Boosts Free Testosterone? Let’s look at some studies: Human Case Study 1 One study found men with a deficiency have significantly lower testosterone levels and higher estrogen levels. These men also had a higher percentage of body fat, less lean mass, higher rates of cardiovascular disease, more depression, and were less fertile than men with adequate levels of D. (2) Human Case Study 2 In another study, men with low testosterone were supplemented with vitamin D and it was found to increase free testosterone levels by a whopping 20% and total and bioactive testosterone also increased! (3) No difference in testosterone levels were seen in the placebo group so the researchers were able to clearly see the effects came directly from supplementation. Vitamin D and Sunlight Natural sunlight is your best source of vitamin D.Your body will naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight for a long enough period of time. However, determining exactly how much sunlight you need is rather difficult. It’s no wonder that so many of us fall short of getting adequate D levels via sunlight absorption with our long work days, commute times, family responsibilities. Vitamin D Absorption Vitamin D is crucial to absorbing some minerals such as magnesium which is also on our list of best testosterone boosting supplements. Interestingly magnesium will help your body make D more bioactive as well! (4) Supplementing with boron is also crucial to maximizing your bodies ability to absorb vitamin D. (5) Vitamin D Supplementation At Rewind Anti-Aging we offer both Vitamin Dhigh quality supplements in the form of capsules or Vitamin D injectables. You are welcome to stop by the office for a free consultation with one of our patient advocates. References:

SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin)

SHBG is a protein made by your liver. It binds tightly to three sex hormones found in both men and women. These hormones are estrogen; dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and testosterone. SHBG carries these three hormones throughout your blood. Although SHBG binds three hormones, the hormone that’s critical in this test is testosterone. SHBG controls the amount of testosterone that your body tissues can use. Too little testosterone in men and too much testosterone in women can cause problems. The level of SHBG in your blood changes because of factors such as sex and age. It can also change because of obesity, liver disease, and hyperthyroidism. Clearly a decrease in SHBG results in a Higher Free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone. The more SHBG, the less free testosterone floating around. Low levels of SHBG can be related to:

Intermittent Fasting… Should you try it?

Contrary to how it sounds, intermittent fasting isn’t just skipping meals. Rather, it involves being more conscious of your eating schedule on the whole. Or, getting your body into a digestive rhythm. During intermittent fasting, your calorie intake will probably be more in line with what your body actually needs (unless you binge during your eating hours). In general, that will help with weight loss, or at the very least, weight gain. Research has shown that short-term fasting increases your metabolic rate by up to 14 percent, so you’ll be more efficient at burning the calories you are consuming. Your body can burn glucose or it can burn fat. Becoming fat adapted means that the body will favor using fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates broken down into glucose. Basically, it looks like this: fast for 14 to 16 hours each day, and then you can eat during the remaining eight to ten hours. If you’ve decided that you’re going to give intermittent fasting a try, stay aware of what and when you’re eating. Nothing is healthy for everyone 100 percent of the time. You have to take into account your current symptoms, and current relationship to food. It is far more important to first focus on your relationship with food. You have to be in the practice of eating unprocessed foods that are alive and rich in nutrition.