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Caffeine and Testosterone Levels
Your Testosterone Levels
Did you know that your testosterone levels start to decline in your mid 20's to early thirties?
Some sources cite test being down 30%+ when you hit your early 40's.
That sucks! That means you gain fat easier, your energy drains faster, and you can't put on as much muscle... not to mention the side-effects in the bedroom!
Well - the good news is, there is a lot you can do about it.
A lot of guys these days are opting for TRT - Testosterone Replacement Therapy.
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Does Coffee Affect Your Testosterone Levels
Caffeine is one of those interesting drugs (yes, it can be classified as such) that has both positive and negative effects on the body. As such, you should be purposeful as to how you employ it in your dietary approach.
Caffeine is used as a performance enhancer - for example, some pro basketball teams would use it as a pick up energy tool before a game. And now it is being looked at for not just game performance but also for the training side of sports. The International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (April 2008) noted that "Interest in the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid has increased since the International Olympic Committee lifted the partial ban on its use. Caffeine has beneficial effects on various aspects of athletic performance, but its effects on training have been neglected."
One area in specific that the study from the Journal looked at was testosterone. The results - "Testosterone concentration showed a small increase of 15% (90% confidence limits, +/- 19%) during exercise. Caffeine raised this concentration in a dose-dependent manner by a further small 21% (+/- 24%) at the highest dose. The 800-mg dose also produced a moderate 52% (+/- 44%) increase in cortisol. The effect of caffeine on the testosterone:cortisol ratio was a small decline (14%; +/- 21%). "
This study revealed both the upside and the downside of caffeine. The conclusion of the researchers was: "Caffeine has some potential to benefit training outcomes via the anabolic effects of the increase in testosterone concentration, but this benefit might be counteracted by the opposing catabolic effects of the increase in cortisol and resultant decline in the testosterone:cortisol ratio."
So caffeine does boost your testosterone, but it also raises the old muscle killer, cortisol. Cortisol is a very nasty substance and is harmful to the muscles.
There is another negative element in caffeine - it tends to over-stimulate your various glands such as the adrenal response, which can tend to age you more rapidly when you repeatedly over-stimulate it. So using caffeine for a muscle-building tool is a mixed bag at best.