Testosterone

Also Known As:

test

If you are looking for an actual stack of supplements to take, we recommend you look at our increasing testosterone stack.

Looking to buy Arginine? Buy from Amazon.com

Follow this Page for updates

• How important is sleep?
• Does ejaculation affect testosterone levels?
• Does creatine cause baldness?
• What is 'roid rage'?
• How can I increase testosterone naturally?
• Do herbal aphrodisiacs work?

test

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (excluding animal/petri-dish studies) to tell you what what supplements affect Testosterone

Level of Evidence	Supplement	Change	Magnitude of Effect Size	Scientific Consensus	Comments
A	Dehydroepiandrosterone		Notable	66% See all 20 studies	There appears to be an increase in testosterone following DHEA supplementation, but the vast majority of literature is in menopausal women (where testosterone contributes... show to libido). There is variability in the results, and DHEA is unreliable in increasing testosterone, but this unreliability extends to all demographics and subjects (with limited evidence of DHEA increasing testosterone in all studies including youthful athletes, which are less studied).
B	Creatine		Minor	66% See all 4 studies	Degree of testosterone spike is not overly notable, although it appears to be present
B	Fenugreek			66% See all 3 studies	Although there is limited evidence to support an increase in testosterone, more evidence than not denies such an increase
B	Alcohol		Minor	-- See all 9 studies	There appears to be a time-dependent influence on testosterone, with acute doses of alcohol increasing testosterone secondary to creating energy influx in the liver (small... show enough of an increase to be 'somewhat' effective but may contribute to libido) whereas abuse is known to reduce testosterone levels more notably. The acute increase in testosterone is thought to be related to spikes in libido
B	Caffeine		Minor	75% See all 4 studies	A very small (usually 12%) increase is noted in trained athletes consuming caffeine above 250mg prior to exercise, this may be dependent on exercise as studies without... show exercise fail to find alterations in testosterone. This increase in unlikely to lead to significant testosterone-like effects
B	Maca			100% See all 4 studies	No significant influences on testosterone in any tested demographic
B	Velvet Antler			100% See all 3 studies	Repeated trials have failed to find an increase in testosterone associated with velvet antler supplementation
B	HMB			100% See all 3 studies	No significant influence of acute usage on testosterone levels
C	Vitamin D		Minor	100% See study	An increase in testosterone has been noted in men with 3,332 IU of Vitamin D over the course of a year
C	Tribulus Terrestris			100% See all 3 studies	No alterations in testosterone levels are noted with recommended doses of tribulus supplementation
C	Chrysin			100% See study	Has failed to increase testosterone levels in one study.
C	Panax Ginseng		Minor	50% See 2 studies	May increase testosterone in infertile men, has also failed in fertile men to influence testosterone; likely a mere antioxidative effect in damaged testicles
C	Nicotine			100% See study	No significant influence on testosterone levels
C	Beta-Alanine			100% See study
C	D-Aspartic Acid		Notable	100% See study	Notably effective in comparison to other testosterone boosting nutraceuticals, but still not overly potent.
C	Magnesium			100% See 2 studies	No significant influences on testosterone levels noted with magnesium intake
C	Licorice		Minor	50% See all 6 studies	There appears to be a testosterone reduction associated with intake of licorice above 500mg, but the magnitude of this reduction is quite variable and there is no robust... show information on the topic
C	Garcinia Cambogia			100% See study	Testosterone appears to be unaltered following ingestion of garcinia cambogia
C	7-Keto DHEA			100% See study	Insufficient evidence to support changes in testosterone following 7-keto supplementation.
C	Ashwagandha		Minor	100% See study	Was effective in infertile men, may not be effective in increasing testosterone in otherwise healthy men.
C	Coleus Forskohlii		Minor	100% See study	Increase of testosterone observed in men not overly potent and is highly variable.
C	Shilajit		Minor	100% See study	A 23.5% increase has been noted in infertile men, it is not certain if this applies to fertile men.
C	Stinging Nettle			100% See study	No detectable influence on testosterone levels
C	Coenzyme Q10		Minor	100% See study	Not the largest increase, and was in infertile men; may not apply to fertile men.
C	Ecdysteroids			100% See study	No alterations noted in serum testosterone associated with ecdysterone consumption
C	Gamma Oryzanol			100% See study	No detectable influence on testosterone levels in otherwise healthy men
C	Ganoderma Lucidum			100% See study	No significant influence on testosterone levels following ingestion of Reishi
C	Green Tea Catechins			100% See study	No significant influence on serum testosterone
C	L-Carnitine			100% See study	No significant alterations noted
C	Mucuna Pruriens		Minor	100% See 2 studies	An increase in testosterone is seen in infertile men. It is unsure if this increase in testosterone occurs in fertile and otherwise healthy men
C	Royal Jelly		Minor	100% See study	A small increase in testosterone has been noted with 3g Royal Jelly for 6 months in older men and women, no studies in youth currently and practical significance of such... show a small increase unknown
C	Glutamine			100% See study	No significant alterations in testosterone noted
C	Fish Oil			100% See study	No detectable influence on testosterone levels in serum
C	Phosphatidylserine			100% See study	No significant influence on testosterone noted with PS supplementation
C	Arachidonic acid			0% See study
C	Arginine			100% See study	No significant influence on circulating testosterone concentrations
D	Boron		Minor	50% See 2 studies	There appears to be an interaction with Boron and testosterone in both genders, but it is seemingly unreliable
D	Yohimbine			100% See study	No significant influence on testosterone seen with yohimbine supplementation
D	Eurycoma Longifolia Jack		Minor	100% See study	An increase has been noted in persons with hypogonadism, it is unsure if this applies to persons with normal testosterone levels
D	Punicalagins			100% See study	No significant influence on testosterone levels in men at risk for prostate cancer

References

1. Yi S, et al. Short sleep duration in association with CT-scanned abdominal fat areas: the Hitachi Health Study. Int J Obes (Lond). (2012)
2. Park SE, et al. The association between sleep duration and general and abdominal obesity in Koreans: data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001 and 2005. Obesity (Silver Spring). (2009)
3. Hairston KG, et al. Sleep duration and five-year abdominal fat accumulation in a minority cohort: the IRAS family study. Sleep. (2010)
4. Watson NF, et al. Sleep duration and body mass index in twins: a gene-environment interaction. Sleep. (2012)
5. Di Milia L, Vandelanotte C, Duncan MJ. The association between short sleep and obesity after controlling for demographic, lifestyle, work and health related factors. Sleep Med. (2013)
6. Nedeltcheva AV, et al. Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Ann Intern Med. (2010)
7. Benedict C, et al. Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain's Response to Hedonic Food Stimuli: An fMRI Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (2012)
8. St-Onge MP, et al. Sleep restriction leads to increased activation of brain regions sensitive to food stimuli. Am J Clin Nutr. (2012)
9. Bosy-Westphal A, et al. Influence of partial sleep deprivation on energy balance and insulin sensitivity in healthy women. Obes Facts. (2008)
10. Spiegel K, Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Impact of sleep debt on physiological rhythms. Rev Neurol (Paris). (2003)
11. Lemola S, et al. Optimism and Self-Esteem Are Related to Sleep. Results from a Large Community-Based Sample. Int J Behav Med. (2012)
12. Sio UN, Monaghan P, Ormerod T. Sleep on it, but only if it is difficult: Effects of sleep on problem solving. Mem Cognit. (2012)
13. Knutson KL. Sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. (2010)
14. Choi JK, et al. Association between short sleep duration and high incidence of metabolic syndrome in midlife women. Tohoku J Exp Med. (2011)
15. Najafian J, et al. Association between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome in a population-based study: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program. J Res Med Sci. (2011)
16. Cappuccio FP, et al. Quantity and quality of sleep and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. (2010)
17. Beihl DA, Liese AD, Haffner SM. Sleep duration as a risk factor for incident type 2 diabetes in a multiethnic cohort. Ann Epidemiol. (2009)
18. Chaput JP, et al. Sleep duration as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance: analyses of the Quebec Family Study. Sleep Med. (2009)
19. Chao CY, et al. Sleep duration is a potential risk factor for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metabolism. (2011)
20. Broussard JL, et al. Impaired insulin signaling in human adipocytes after experimental sleep restriction: a randomized, crossover study. Ann Intern Med. (2012)
21. Robertson MD, et al. Effects of three weeks of mild sleep restriction implemented in the home environment on multiple metabolic and endocrine markers in healthy young men. Metabolism. (2013)
22. Impact of Five Nights of Sleep Restriction on Glucose Metabolism, Leptin and Testosterone in Young Adult Men
23. Buxton OM, et al. Sleep restriction for 1 week reduces insulin sensitivity in healthy men. Diabetes. (2010)
24. Donga E, et al. A single night of partial sleep deprivation induces insulin resistance in multiple metabolic pathways in healthy subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (2010)
25. Penev PD. Association between sleep and morning testosterone levels in older men. Sleep. (2007)
26. Luboshitzky R, Shen-Orr Z, Herer P. Middle-aged men secrete less testosterone at night than young healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (2003)
27. Randler C, et al. Chronotype but not sleep length is related to salivary testosterone in young adult men. Psychoneuroendocrinology. (2012)
28. Validation of the full and reduced Composite Scale of Morningness
29. An actigraphic validation study of seven morningness-eveningness inventories
30. Roenneberg T, et al. A marker for the end of adolescence. Curr Biol. (2004)
31. Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men. JAMA. (2011)
32. Cortés-Gallegos V, et al. Sleep deprivation reduces circulating androgens in healthy men. Arch Androl. (1983)
33. González-Santos MR, et al. Sleep deprivation and adaptive hormonal responses of healthy men. Arch Androl. (1989)
34. Cote KA, et al. Sleep deprivation lowers reactive aggression and testosterone in men. Biol Psychol. (2013)
35. Leproult R, et al. Sleep loss results in an elevation of cortisol levels the next evening. Sleep. (1997)
36. Backhaus J, Junghanns K, Hohagen F. Sleep disturbances are correlated with decreased morning awakening salivary cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology. (2004)
37. Wu H, et al. Effects of sleep restriction periods on serum cortisol levels in healthy men. Brain Res Bull. (2008)
38. Vgontzas AN, et al. Sleep deprivation effects on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and growth axes: potential clinical implications. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). (1999)
39. Caine-Bish N, et al. The effect of cold exposure on the hormonal and metabolic responses to sleep deprivation. Wilderness Environ Med. (2005)
40. Opstad PK, et al. The thyroid function in young men during prolonged exercise and the effect of energy and sleep deprivation. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). (1984)
41. Sadamatsu M, et al. The 24-hour rhythms in plasma growth hormone, prolactin and thyroid stimulating hormone: effect of sleep deprivation. J Neuroendocrinol. (1995)
42. Klingenberg L, et al. Sleep restriction is not associated with a positive energy balance in adolescent boys. Am J Clin Nutr. (2012)
43. Koban M, Swinson KL. Chronic REM-sleep deprivation of rats elevates metabolic rate and increases UCP1 gene expression in brown adipose tissue. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. (2005)
44. Rechtschaffen A, Bergmann BM. Sleep deprivation in the rat: an update of the 1989 paper. Sleep. (2002)
45. Takahashi Y, Kipnis DM, Daughaday WH. Growth hormone secretion during sleep. J Clin Invest. (1968)
46. Sassin JF, et al. Human growth hormone release: relation to slow-wave sleep and sleep-walking cycles. Science. (1969)
47. Gronfier C, et al. A quantitative evaluation of the relationships between growth hormone secretion and delta wave electroencephalographic activity during normal sleep and after enrichment in delta waves. Sleep. (1996)
48. Van Cauter E, et al. A quantitative estimation of growth hormone secretion in normal man: reproducibility and relation to sleep and time of day. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1992)
49. Obál F Jr, Krueger JM. The somatotropic axis and sleep. Rev Neurol (Paris). (2001)
50. Saini J, et al. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment. Effects on growth hormone, insulin and glucose profiles in obstructive sleep apnea patients. Horm Metab Res. (1993)
51. Brandenberger G, Weibel L. The 24-h growth hormone rhythm in men: sleep and circadian influences questioned. J Sleep Res. (2004)
52. Ho KY, et al. Effects of sex and age on the 24-hour profile of growth hormone secretion in man: importance of endogenous estradiol concentrations. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1987)
53. Brandenberger G, et al. Effect of sleep deprivation on overall 24 h growth-hormone secretion. Lancet. (2000)
54. Spiegel K, et al. Adaptation of the 24-h growth hormone profile to a state of sleep debt. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. (2000)
55. Krüger TH, Hartmann U, Schedlowski M. Prolactinergic and dopaminergic mechanisms underlying sexual arousal and orgasm in humans. World J Urol. (2005)
56. Passie T, et al. Ecstasy (MDMA) mimics the post-orgasmic state: impairment of sexual drive and function during acute MDMA-effects may be due to increased prolactin secretion. Med Hypotheses. (2005)
57. Exton MS, et al. Endocrine response to masturbation-induced orgasm in healthy men following a 3-week sexual abstinence. World J Urol. (2001)
58. Jiang M, et al. A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men. J Zhejiang Univ Sci. (2003)
59. Krüger T, et al. Neuroendocrine and cardiovascular response to sexual arousal and orgasm in men. Psychoneuroendocrinology. (1998)
60. Krüger TH, et al. Specificity of the neuroendocrine response to orgasm during sexual arousal in men. J Endocrinol. (2003)
61. Krüger TH, et al. Effects of acute prolactin manipulation on sexual drive and function in males. J Endocrinol. (2003)
62. Krüger TH, et al. Orgasm-induced prolactin secretion: feedback control of sexual drive. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. (2002)
63. Stahl SM. The psychopharmacology of sex, Part 1: Neurotransmitters and the 3 phases of the human sexual response. J Clin Psychiatry. (2001)
64. Motofei IG, Rowland DL. Neurophysiology of the ejaculatory process: developing perspectives. BJU Int. (2005)
65. Pharmacotherapy for Premature Ejaculation
66. Assessment of erectogenic properties of apomorphine and yohimbine in man
67. McMahon CG. Treatment of premature ejaculation with sertraline hydrochloride: a single-blind placebo controlled crossover study. J Urol. (1998)
68. McMahon CG, Samali R. Pharmacological treatment of premature ejaculation. Curr Opin Urol. (1999)
69. Rathnayake D, Sinclair R. Male androgenetic alopecia. Expert Opin Pharmacother. (2010)
70. Wright AS, et al. Relative potency of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in preventing atrophy and apoptosis in the prostate of the castrated rat. J Clin Invest. (1996)
71. Bartsch G, Rittmaster RS, Klocker H. Dihydrotestosterone and the concept of 5alpha-reductase inhibition in human benign prostatic hyperplasia. World J Urol. (2002)
72. Ryu HK, et al. Evaluation of androgens in the scalp hair and plasma of patients with male-pattern baldness before and after finasteride administration. Br J Dermatol. (2006)
73. Dallob AL, et al. The effect of finasteride, a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, on scalp skin testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations in patients with male pattern baldness. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1994)
74. Bang HJ, et al. Comparative studies on level of androgens in hair and plasma with premature male-pattern baldness. J Dermatol Sci. (2004)
75. van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. (2009)
76. Green G. Creatine supplementation and DHT:T ratio in male rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. (2010)
77. Volek JS, et al. The effects of creatine supplementation on muscular performance and body composition responses to short-term resistance training overreaching. Eur J Appl Physiol. (2004)
78. Op 't Eijnde B, Hespel P. Short-term creatine supplementation does not alter the hormonal response to resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (2001)
79. Bagatell CJ, et al. Metabolic and behavioral effects of high-dose, exogenous testosterone in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1994)
80. Anderson RA, Bancroft J, Wu FC. The effects of exogenous testosterone on sexuality and mood of normal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1992)
81. Alexander GM, et al. Androgen-behavior correlations in hypogonadal men and eugonadal men. I. Mood and response to auditory sexual stimuli. Horm Behav. (1997)
82. O'Connor DB, et al. Exogenous testosterone, aggression, and mood in eugonadal and hypogonadal men. Physiol Behav. (2002)
83. Tricker R, et al. The effects of supraphysiological doses of testosterone on angry behavior in healthy eugonadal men--a clinical research center study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. (1996)
84. Giorgi A, Weatherby RP, Murphy PW. Muscular strength, body composition and health responses to the use of testosterone enanthate: a double blind study. J Sci Med Sport. (1999)
85. O'Connor DB, et al. Activational effects of testosterone on cognitive function in men. Neuropsychologia. (2001)
86. Alexander GM, et al. Androgen-behavior correlations in hypogonadal men and eugonadal men. II. Cognitive abilities. Horm Behav. (1998)
87. Wolf OT, et al. Testosterone and cognition in elderly men: a single testosterone injection blocks the practice effect in verbal fluency, but has no effect on spatial or verbal memory. Biol Psychiatry. (2000)
88. Wehr E, et al. Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). (2010)
89. Pilz S, et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Horm Metab Res. (2011)
90. Kinuta K, et al. Vitamin D is an important factor in estrogen biosynthesis of both female and male gonads. Endocrinology. (2000)
91. Miller SL, Maner JK. Scent of a woman: men's testosterone responses to olfactory ovulation cues. Psychol Sci. (2010)
92. Cerda-Molina AL, et al. Endocrine changes in male stumptailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) as a response to odor stimulation with vaginal secretions. Horm Behav. (2006)
93. Scents and sensibility: information content of olfactory signals in the ringtailed lemur, Lemur catta
94. Seo Y, et al. Plasma concentration of prolactin, testosterone might be associated with brain response to visual erotic stimuli in healthy heterosexual males. Psychiatry Investig. (2009)
95. Stoléru SG, et al. LH pulsatile secretion and testosterone blood levels are influenced by sexual arousal in human males. Psychoneuroendocrinology. (1993)
96. Cook CJ, Crewther BT. Changes in salivary testosterone concentrations and subsequent voluntary squat performance following the presentation of short video clips. Horm Behav. (2012)
97. Roney JR, Lukaszewski AW, Simmons ZL. Rapid endocrine responses of young men to social interactions with young women. Horm Behav. (2007)
98. Behavioral and hormonal responses of men to brief interactions with women
99. Red, Rank, and Romance in Women Viewing Men
100. Gelstein S, et al. Human tears contain a chemosignal. Science. (2011)
101. Wax B, et al. Acute L-arginine alpha ketoglutarate supplementation fails to improve muscular performance in resistance trained and untrained men. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. (2012)
102. Collier SR, Casey DP, Kanaley JA. Growth hormone responses to varying doses of oral arginine. Growth Horm IGF Res. (2005)
103. Bode-Böger SM, et al. L-arginine-induced vasodilation in healthy humans: pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship. Br J Clin Pharmacol. (1998)
104. Marcell TJ, et al. Oral arginine does not stimulate basal or augment exercise-induced GH secretion in either young or old adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. (1999)
105. Isidori A, Lo Monaco A, Cappa M. A study of growth hormone release in man after oral administration of amino acids. Curr Med Res Opin. (1981)
106. Wilson AM, et al. L-arginine supplementation in peripheral arterial disease: no benefit and possible harm. Circulation. (2007)
107. Böger RH, et al. Restoring vascular nitric oxide formation by L-arginine improves the symptoms of intermittent claudication in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. (1998)
108. Liu TH, et al. No effect of short-term arginine supplementation on nitric oxide production, metabolism and performance in intermittent exercise in athletes. J Nutr Biochem. (2009)
109. Abel T, et al. Influence of chronic supplementation of arginine aspartate in endurance athletes on performance and substrate metabolism - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Int J Sports Med. (2005)
110. Fahs CA, Heffernan KS, Fernhall B. Hemodynamic and vascular response to resistance exercise with L-arginine. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (2009)
111. Lucotti P, et al. Beneficial effects of a long-term oral L-arginine treatment added to a hypocaloric diet and exercise training program in obese, insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic patients. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. (2006)
112. Jabłecka A, et al. The effect of oral L-arginine supplementation on fasting glucose, HbA1c, nitric oxide and total antioxidant status in diabetic patients with atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease of lower extremities. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. (2012)
113. Monti LD, et al. Effect of a long-term oral l-arginine supplementation on glucose metabolism: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. (2012)
114. Schwedhelm E, et al. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of oral L-citrulline and L-arginine: impact on nitric oxide metabolism. Br J Clin Pharmacol. (2008)
115. Willoughby DS, et al. Effects of 7 days of arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation on blood flow, plasma L-arginine, nitric oxide metabolites, and asymmetric dimethyl arginine after resistance exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. (2011)

(Common phrases used by users for this page include male masturbation clincial trials in connecticut, does creatine effect testosterone, d-aspartic acid ejaculation, d-aspartic acid al sport, can masturbation affect vitamin d levels, 867)

(Users who contributed to this page include KurtisFrank, Efrum, Sol)