This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact-checked by experts.
A low-carb way of eating, known as the ketogenic or keto diet, has become widely popular if you want to lose weight. More so, many studies have shown that keto can boost male hormones, i.e. testosterone.
The primary goal of having a keto diet is to reduce carbs intake as much as possible and get your calories from fat and protein-rich foods. This process can effectively reduce your blood sugar levels and passively boost your testosterone levels.
We have researched scientific studies and evidence to know whether keto increases or decreases testosterone levels. Let’s find out the details below.
Many men across the world, regardless of age and genetics, are struggling with lower levels of testosterone or low T. It can be a serious condition that can impact your mood, your weight and even your male drive.
Hence, you must understand how the ketogenic diet works to boost your low T levels.
Ketogenic Or Keto Diet – What Is It?
A Keto diet is a low-carb weight-loss program that is inspired by a process called ketosis. In this process, your body burns fat for energy when it doesn’t have enough carbohydrates or glucose. As a result, it produces small elements called ketones, which are used as fuel by your body.
Typically, a keto diet reduces the total intake of carbohydrates to up to 50 grams a day. Many keto experts suggest a diet that contains about 70-80% calories from fat, 10-20% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates.
Interestingly, about 94% of Keto users have experienced positive changes in their life after adopting the diet. The remaining people said that it is a very difficult diet plan. Indeed, it will be hard in the beginning, but if you can endure it, you may witness an immense increase in your testosterone levels.
Low Testosterone Is Correlated With High Blood Sugar And Increased Insulin Resistance
Many research studies have shown that high blood sugar can dramatically decrease your testosterone levels due to the rapid increase of insulin resistance in your body.
A study published in Clinical Endocrinology journal concluded that the total testosterone levels in men dropped substantially within 2 hours of the glucose intake. It strongly indicates that your low testosterone levels are connected with higher blood sugar levels and more insulin resistance in your body.
Insulin is a hormone released by our pancreas that tells our cells to pick up sugar from our blood to convert it into energy. Insulin resistance can occur when there is too much blood sugar, and your body cells stop responding to the insulin.
That means your vital organs and tissues take glucose at a much slower rate. And we need a sufficient amount of glucose to help our male organs to produce adequate testosterone.
Insulin Sensitivity Can Benefit Your Testosterone Levels
Although the studies have not found enough evidence, the relationship between testosterone, blood sugar, and insulin is quite understandable.
A study published on NIH clinical trials.gov states that metabolic syndrome is a medical condition where the insulin resistance in our body increases as we age, which directly impacts our body’s capability to produce testosterone.
Another study has concluded that if your body has lower levels of sugar, it will lead to better insulin sensitivity. Thus, the presence of excess insulin in your body can help your organs produce more testosterone hormones and reduce SHBG levels.
Keto To Boost Testosterone
If you still have not decided, then it’s high time you do so. See, testosterone levels can be adversely affected by high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
On the contrary, a keto diet can increase insulin sensitivity by lowering blood sugar levels. Hence, it is evident that a Keto diet can act as a good testosterone booster.
Scientific studies on the subject suggest yes; they claim that a high-fat diet like ketogenic or keto can effectively boost our testosterone levels. A recent randomized controlled trial done in 2020 found that men witnessed a sufficient increase in their testosterone levels after only 11 weeks of the keto diet.
Another study on 30 healthy middle-aged men shows that when they were put on a low-fat, high-fibre diet, there was a decrease in serum total and testosterone levels.
All in all, it concludes that a keto diet can raise your testosterone levels; however, how the mechanism works is still not clear – whether it is related to insulin or something else.
Conclusion
A fair amount of evidence and many theories show the effectiveness of a Keto diet for increasing your testosterone levels. More so, if it is included along with physical activity, you may be able to experience the difference within a few weeks.
In addition, if you lose excess fat tissues, an advantage of a keto diet is that you can boost your low testosterone production. Nevertheless, we always recommend our readers consult their healthcare professionals before jumping onto any diet – be it keto.
