What is testosterone?

High testosterone secretion can be expected to have a positive effect on the body and mind, but decreased secretion can cause various disorders.

On this page, we will explain in detail the function of testosterone, ED, thinning hair, and menopausal symptoms that tend to occur when there is a deficiency.

How testosterone works

Testosterone is an essential hormone for male growth.

Muscles, skeleton, beard, hair, etc … can be rephrased as “the source of men” because it has the function of creating such a manly body.

It also affects not only physical changes but also mental health and desires.

Now let’s take a closer look at how testosterone works.

Physical aspect

The following is a life stage application of the function of testosterone.

Men have been affected by testosterone since they were in their mother’s stomach, and as they grow up, they undergo various changes in their bodies.

In addition, muscle mass and body fat loss after adulthood are related not only to testosterone but also to diet and exercise.

Therefore, testosterone is needed to maintain physical youth even after peaking in growth.

Libido

Libido is, to put it simply, libido. This is also due to the action of testosterone, which is sometimes referred to as a ” natural aphrodisiac
” in terms of sexuality.

Sexual impulse

• Generate pheromones
• Increases dopamine, which has a stimulating effect

These act as switches to stimulate the excitement and erection needed for sexual activity.

In addition, it also has the function of maintaining sexual function, so it can be said that men are called carnivorous people to secrete testosterone actively.

Also, although the image of “testosterone = male” is strong, nothing is exclusively for males.

It is also secreted in small amounts in women, and although it cannot be said unconditionally due to the complicated mechanism, it is thought that testosterone is also involved in female libido.

mentally

Testosterone works on mental aspects such as maintaining the motivation (confidence) and vitality (vitality) of men.

Not only does it make you positive, but it also affects your brain, such as how you perceive things, your thinking, and your ability to make decisions, and it helps you in your daily life, such as working and studying.

It is said that testosterone is also involved in being positive about women. Isn’t it natural that people who emit pheromones and are full of masculine charm are popular?

However, on the other hand, it is also a fact that the roughness increases.

To put it simply, it also affects humanity such as aggression, impatience, and anger.

These aspects can be described as wild or strong men, but I would like to be careful about excessive behavior.

What Causes Testosterone to Decrease?

There are two reasons why testosterone decreases:

• Aging
• stress

In addition, it is thought that the ability to make testosterone will decline if you continue to have an unbalanced diet, as your diet may have an effect.

From here, I will explain two things, “aging” and “stress”.

Aging

Testosterone peaks in the twenties and gradually decreases, and after that, the amount of testosterone secreted decreases with aging.

It doesn’t decrease sharply, so you won’t notice it for a while, but soon everyone will feel the age.

• Physical strength, concentration, etc. do not continue
• I lost my libido
• I’m hungry

Such

This isn’t due to age, but to a decrease in testosterone.

In addition, some people may complain of physical and mental disorders when they reach their 40s and 50s.

If you feel that your performance is worse than when you were younger, suspect a decrease in testosterone rather than just “because of your age.”

stress

The key to the stable secretion of testosterone is the balance between the two stimulating hormones secreted by the healthy brain.

• Gonadotropin
• Adrenocorticotropic hormone

These two are hormones that stimulate the testicles and stimulate secretion, and men rely on the testicles for 95% of their secretion.

However, when stress builds up, the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone becomes excessive.

Then, the amount of gonadotropin secreted decreases, and the amount of testosterone secreted from the testicles decreases.

Symptoms that appear when testosterone is low

As testosterone decreases, various physical and mental disorders begin to appear.

In particular, if decreases excessively due to aging, it leads to trouble called male climacteric disorder (LOH syndrome / age-related hypogonadism), although it is not a disease.

Next, I will give a brief explanation of some of the symptoms that appear when testosterone decreases.

ED

ED (Erectile Dysfunction) refers to a condition in which you cannot have satisfactory sexual activity, including not only not having an erection but also being unable to maintain it.

As I mentioned earlier, testosterone has the functions of “libido” and “reducing body fat. “

In other words, if the secretion is reduced, the risk of causing impotence due to decreased libido and obesity increases.

Also, if the number of “morning rises” to maintain sexual function decreases, it may be a sign of ED.

Since erection is also a barometer of male health, ED should be one of the indicators of menopausal symptoms.

Thin hair

AGA (male pattern baldness), which is considered to be the most common in thinning hair, is caused by DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is activated by testosterone.Testosterone + Enzyme = DHT (Dihydrotestosterone)

If you look at this alone, you may be wondering, “Isn’t there a risk of AGA if testosterone is reduced?”

However, when testosterone is reduced, enzymes become more active to make up for it.

This will increase the amount of DHT produced, so there is a risk of AGA if testosterone is too high or too low.

However, it is said that the degree of activity of the enzyme that produces DHT is greatly influenced by heredity.

Therefore, keep in mind that testosterone depletion may have contributed to thinning hair symptoms such as Propecia or hairline recession and crown volume loss.

Menopause

The physical and mental disorders that occur in menopause vary greatly from person to person.

Some people have no symptoms at all, while others suffer from endless symptoms.

To briefly introduce what kind of symptoms appear,

Physical symptoms

• I can’t get tired
• Frequent urination and feeling of residual urine
• Muscle weakness
• Increased abdominal fat

Such

Mental symptoms

• insomnia
• Frustrated
• Depressed
• Anxiety

Such

Autonomic nervous system symptoms

• Palpitations and shortness of breath
• Easy to sweat
• Hot flashes

Such

As you can see, various physical and mental disorders occur, so it is advisable to consult a doctor if you have any of the above symptoms.

How to increase testosterone

As testosterone decreases with age, it seems impossible to resist aging.

However, there are several ways you can increase testosterone production by reviewing your lifestyle.

• Muscle training
• meal

There are other hormone replacement therapies, but there is also the risk of side effects.

For that reason, it is desirable to first look back on each day and start from what you can do yourself.

Let’s take a closer look at each method.

Muscle training

Muscle training, which stimulates the muscles, stimulates the secretion of testosterone.

Moreover, it is two birds with one stone because it also improves the basic physical strength, and it is easy to increase motivation by moving the body.

It is also recommended to take moderate exercise (walking, running, swimming, etc.) for about 30 minutes, about 2 to 3 times a week.

However, refrain from strenuous exercise.

If you apply a sudden load, not only will your body not follow you, but you may also lower your blood testosterone all at once.

Try to exercise as much as you can.

meal

A nutritionally conscious diet is important for increasing testosterone.

zinc

Zinc is called a “sex mineral” and helps remove active oxygen that promotes sperm function and aging.

Although it has an indirect effect on preventing aging, zinc also promotes protein synthesis, so it is a nutrient that we want to consciously take.

If you want to improve the absorption efficiency of zinc, you want to take it with vitamin C and citric acid.

protein

There are two types of proteins (animal and vegetable), and it is expected that the amount of testosterone secreted will increase not only in animal proteins such as meat but also in vegetable soy protein.

Although it is a nutrient that is not deficient in the diet of modern people unless you diet excessively, let’s take protein positively as it can be said that it is essential for muscle training.

summary about Testosterone

Testosterone peaks in the 20s and decreases, and the amount of testosterone secreted after the 40s becomes even more downhill.

Since you know the peak, try to prevent it on a daily basis so that you do not suffer from various physical and mental disorders.

Also, many men tend to put up with “only now” and “healing soon” even if there is some upset.

However, there is a limit to what an individual can do in response to sudden hormonal changes.

Please consult your doctor so that it does not interfere with your daily life during difficult times.