The Science Behind The Best Testosterone Booster

What Natural Compounds Could Function As A Testosterone Booster?

Ashwagandha - The most well known trial for Ashwagandha was performed in New Zeeland in 2018, participants were given 300mg of Ashwagandha and later a placebo and visa versa, levels notably raised during after supplementation and later dropped when supplementation was discontinued cementing it's example use as a testosterone booster. The participants were shown to have significantly higher levels of DHEA-S (T37 = 2.97, p = .005) and testosterone (T36 = 2.74, p = .010) during ashwagandha supplementation, in contrast to the placebo period (18.0% and 14.7%, respectively). [3] This study has since been replicated multiple times with varying dosages of the herb. It seems that the ideal dosage sits at 300mg, which is what we look for when looking for the best pre blended testosterone booster. The herb has also been shown to reduce cortisol levels (the stress chemical) although the significance level of these seems to vary between trials.

Vitamin D - Vitamin D supplementation has been the most significant of all natural testosterone boosters, and the most replicated. There are several core reasons for this. The first is that in the English speaking northern hemisphere, almost half of the adult population is vitamin D deficient, USA at 41% [4] the UK at 30% [5] and Canada showing between 70 and 97% deficiency rates. [6] The UK's relatively low deficiency level by contrast can be put down to the common practice of fortifying foods with Vitamin D in the country. Vitamin D3 is a precursor to 6 different steroid hormones [7] meaning it is required to facilitate their natural production in the body. As a result deficient men will produce testosterone at a lower rate, making vitamin D an effective testosterone booster for a huge portion of the population. Similar evidence has been displayed in Denmark and other countries. Beyond this, Vitamin D has a compounding effect. When tested humans were able to tolerate supplementation of up to 5000mg and still show consistent improvements in athleticism in otherwise healthy men [8]. The exact nature of quite how impactful Vitamin D3 is still up for discussion and based on it's potential to improve athletic performance outside of testosterone levels. And as increasing active performance results in an increase in lean muscle mass, this in turn leads to higher testosterone production in those using vitamin d3 within testosterone supplements.

Zinc - Zinc's usage only applies in cases of deficiency, however, trials showed significant increases in serum testosterone levels. Particularly in cases of males suffering with low testosterone. Fortunately Zinc deficiency is not as common place as the Vitamin D3 counterpart. However, Zinc supplementation of even mildly zinc deficient men for six months resulted in an improvement to in serum testosterone from 8.3 +/- 6.3 to 16.0 +/- 4.4 nmol/L. [9] To put this simply, correctly even a mild zinc deficiency in men resulted in boosting testosterone production by 100% and reducing estrogen levels. The overall increase of free testosterone (the effective testosterone) was almost six fold. going from 2nmol/L to nearly 12nmol. This is the difference between incredibly low testosterone and being within a normal healthy range. As a result a lot of the best testosterone boosters work by correcting these common dietary issues. What we'll look for in the best testosterone booster supplements is simply that they contain enough zinc to ensure minimal recommend daily intake is met. The reason for this is that on males who meet their recommended zinc intake studies have shown no improvement to free or overall testosterone levels. [10]

DAA - D Aspartic Acid is perhaps one of the most interesting elements of supplementation in testosterone boosters. Testosterone supplements regularly make use of the amino acid. The core reasoning behind that is DAA is used in the biosynthesis of testosterone and protein synthesis [11]. As a result of it's part in the production of lean muscle mass, it is most popular in products marketed as testosterone boosters for muscle. Interestingly the three most well known and replicated studies on the amino acid almost show conflicting results. The main variance of these two studies was the dosage. In untrained sedentary men with low testosterone, levels of testosterone were significantly increased by 42% (4.5–6.4 ng.ml−1) with 3 grams of supplementation [12]. Conversely dosages of 6g daily resulted in significant decreases in total serum testosterone levels in both trained and untrained men [13]. Trained men also responded positively to 3g daily of supplementation, with average increases across the group being (7.96 nmols/L) around a 50% increase to the groups baseline. [14] Several further tests have been conducted and ideal seems to be below 3g daily, however the exact ideal dosage is currently undetermined, it likely ranges between 1600mg and 2500mg based on current research. We will be looking for a testosterone booster that sits between these two numbers.

Ginseng - Panax Ginseng, and it does specifically have to be Panax Ginseng, does produce positive effects. American Ginseng however, does not, as a result it is seemed that the subspecies of Ginseng is an essential consideration when utilizing the herb as a testosterone booster. Ginsenosides (the active ingredient in ginseng vary between these subspecies and even by age, so this is not an unexpected development) [15]. Panax ginseng supplementation has been shown to raise testosterone levels in both men [16] and women [17] with even more extreme results being demonstrated in older trial participants [17] with overall studies showing increases of around 60% in total testosterone and 50% increases in participants[17].

Both American and Panax Ginseng resulted in libido increase in animal studies with increased mounting behaviours [18], but this behaviour did not occur when only supplemented with isolated ginenosides, suggesting that there may well be another effect in Ginseng which is responsible for it's libido effect in humans . Specifically supplementation of Ginsenoside Rg1 [19] has resulted in improvements to complete copulation. Whilst this is not something that has any testosterone related, libido concerns are commonly an issue of note for men seeking a testosterone booster so it bares mentioning. This is likely due to the effect that Ginsenosides have been shown to have on GABA receptors (the receptors responsible for fast synaptic transmission between the brain and nervous system), further study is required for complete understanding. Ideal supplementation seems between 100-150mg depending on body weight.

Luteolin - The flavonoid Luteolin has several roles in the production of testosterone. As such it's another common ingredient in testosterone boosters. It has the effect of blocking aromatase the enzyme which converts testosterone into estrogen in men[20] . It also plays a part in the direct production of testosterone inside leydig cells [21]. There are limited clinical trials of Luteolin as a testosterone booster, there are many for it's improvements to nootropic areas of memory, mental degradation conditions etc [22]. That said, the cellular and computational studies are robust enough to suggest that Luteolin is effective at improving testosterone production and with it's proven bioavailability (ability for supplementation to be absorbed by humans) in other studies it should be effective. However, the ideal dosage is not currently known, however based on it's bioavailability it is expected to be somewhere in the region of 100mg. 

Boron - Boron has a number of beneficial effects on the body’s use of estrogen, testosterone, vitamin D and magnesium absorption. It also protects against pesticide and heavy metal toxicity. Most studies suggest that the majority of the benefits can be achieved with supplementation of more than 3mg/day. [23] 

Fenugreek - Fenugreek contains several flavonoids and steroidal saponins as well as vitamin and mineral complexes. It has been repeatedly clinically trialled to the point where it's efficacy for boosting testosterone seems to be in no doubt [24]. The question around fenugreek as a testosterone booster is only which compounds are responsible for it's effects. The most well cited double blind clinical trial showed that Fenugreek extract supplementation of 100mg resulted in a notable increase testosterone production with an increase in free testosterone levels around 1.5nmol/l. [25] This does make it one of the least effective testosterone boosters on our top ingredients list, however, it is a this point confirmed to be effective. It is also seen to be well tolerated at higher levels with compounding effects [26] with the ideal dosages being around 600mg resulting in increases around 6nmol/L, after that point returns were diminishing. As a result we'll be looking for testosterone supplements with doses around this level.

Maca - Recent studies into Maca (Lepidium meyenii) have noted its efficacy at reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) build up and it has been shown to improve sexual function and desire in self report studies. [27] Cortisol build up has a direct implication in the reduction of testosterone production [28], so reducing stress improves testosterone levels. This is a secondary tangential benefit to other testosterone boosting supplements such as ashwagandha [29]. Maca also has direct impact on free testosterone by reducing serum estridol levels [30], Maca showed no statistical difference in increases when dosed at 1500mg and 3000mg [31], meaning that the ideal dosage for testosterone supplements is likely around 1500mg.

Magnesium - Studies have repeatedly shown that magnesium supplementation improves overall testosterone levels within men with and without deficiencies. [32] However, the increases are higher in men who undertake large volumes of athletic activity. [33]