High testosterone is often seen as the gateway to gains and glory. For men, high testosterone levels correlate with better results from the gym, a better physique, more drive, higher libido, more energy, and a large number of other advantages.
While there are unnatural ways to increase testosterone through the use of steroids, there are also a plethora of natural ways to increase testosterone, such as sleeping more, lowering stress, absorbing red light, supplementing adaptogens, and eating a variety of food.
How Food Can Increase Testosterone
Food can increase testosterone by correcting nutrient deficiencies, increasing nitric oxide, supplying minerals needed for hormone production, and supplying carbs and fats.
There are many possible ways that testosterone levels can decline. One of these is a lack of a certain nutrient, such as vitamin D or vitamin B6. By correcting micronutrient deficiencies with food, normal hormonal function can be restored and testosterone will increase.
Foods that increase nitric oxide also can boost testosterone levels. Nitric oxide has many benefits. One of these is enhancing the secretion of gonadotropins. Gonadotropins are hormones that act on the testes to produce sex hormones such as testosterone. Nitric oxide enhances the secretion of gonadotropins by stimulating the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH).
This study done on the role of nitric oxide in the regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone found that nitric oxide is able to influence both the secretion and biosynthesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This study found that nitric oxide activates luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone as well.
Nitric oxide can also increase blood flow, lower blood pressure, cure erectile dysfunction, and more. Eating fruit is just one of several ways to increase nitric oxide. You can also take supplements, such as agmatine sulfate and beta-alanine, or do more anaerobic exercise.
Supplying minerals, fats, and carbs are all more ways that some fruits can boost testosterone levels. Minerals like zinc and magnesium play critical roles in the production of hormones. Keeping levels of these essential nutrients high will ensure optimal testosterone. Fruits that are good sources of carbs and fats will also assist in testosterone but that is not innate to only one kind of fruit since the majority of foods contain these macronutrients.
What Are the Fruits That Increase Testosterone Levels?
These are all the fruits that can potentially increase testosterone levels.
- Avocados
- Blueberries
- Watermelons
- Kiwis
- Dates
- Bananas
Of course, most fruits could be found to have some positive hormonal impact since most areas within nutrition and hormones are relative and intertwined. These are the fruits which have a clear effect, however, and are the most advantageous for males to eat to increase testosterone.
Avocados
Avocados can increase testosterone levels since they contain zinc, vitamin E, oleuropein, magnesium, HDL cholesterol, and monounsaturated fat.
Oleuropein is a phenylethanoid that can lower blood pressure, function as an antioxidant, and boost testosterone. This study on oleuropein supplementation found that oleuropein can increase noradrenaline and testicular testosterone levels while reducing cortisol.
1 avocado supplies around 1mg of zinc and 30mg of magnesium. This study on zinc found that after supplementing with zinc for 6 months, the testosterone levels of men nearly doubled. A study on magnesium also found that 4 weeks of supplementation significantly increased total testosterone levels in men.
For healthy levels of testosterone, 10-30mg of zinc and 380-400mg of magnesium are the ideal ranges. This means a few avocados per day will yield 20-40% of the total amounts needed of these minerals.
Blueberries
Blueberries are a second fruit that can increase levels of testosterone in men. Blueberries contain vitamin C, vitamin K, phytoflavinoids, anthocyanin, other antioxidants, and several more micronutrients and minerals. Blueberries mainly have a positive impact on testosterone due to their ability to increase dopamine and fight oxidative stress.
This study on blueberries found that norepinephrine and dopamine concentrations were improved from blueberry drink supplementation. Dopamine elevates levels of GnRH, and can therefore lead to large increases in gonadotropic hormones, elevating testosterone as a result. Oxidative stress can also inhibit the synthesis of testosterone in leydig cells so the antioxidation of blueberries may be able to directly increase production of testosterone in the testes as well.
Watermelons
A third fruit which can increase levels of testosterone is watermelon. In watermelon, there are substantial amounts of vitamin A, vitamin B6, lycopene, L-citrulline, and other amino acids.
Vitamin B6 and L-citrulline are the two key components of watermelon that give it a hormonal benefit. Vitamin B6 has been found to be critical in testosterone production and L-citrulline, an amino acid, is able to increase nitric oxides levels, stimulating the releases of LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) and GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone).
This study found that deficiency in vitamin B6 lowered the rate of testosterone synthesis. This study found that vitamin B6 mediates pituitary hormones by providing the metabolic pathways for the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. From this evidence, the production of testosterone seems to rely on vitamin B6 in order to be at healthy, full capacity levels.
Since L-citrulline increases nitric oxide by acting as a precursor to L-arginine which is then converted into nitric oxide, L-citrulline can activate gonadotropic hormones and increase blood flow, both of which result in enhanced testosterone.
Kiwis
Next, kiwis are one of the most nutritious fruits, rivaling avocados and grapefruit. Kiwis have large amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin K, folate, and antioxidants.
The benefit of kiwis for testosterone comes from the large amount of vitamin C and vitamin B6. Vitamin C, as supported by this study, is able to increase testosterone by repairing damage to testicular cells. Vitamin B6 also plays a role in supporting full production of testosterone.
Combined, both vitamin B6 and vitamin C make kiwis a good source of micronutrients which benefit hormonal levels.
Dates
Following, the superfruit kiwi, dates have earned a spot on the roster for boosting testosterone due to their large magnesium content along with their additional assortment of vitamins, minerals, saponins, and antioxidants.
Dates contain 60-65mg of magnesium per 1 cup serving. 3 servings of dates then supplies about 35% of the magnesium that you should be consuming per day. This may sound insignificant but it is 4-5 times that of other common fruits and vegetables. This boost in magnesium from dates ensures that testosterone production is kept functioning highly.
Bananas
Lastly, bananas are one of the best fruits to eat for testosterone. The reason for this is that bananas contain vitamin B6, vitamin B12, polyphenols, and bromelain.
Bromelain is a group of enzymes that has many positive effect on hormones as well as performance and recovery from training. This study found that bromelain helped muscles recover from damage, lowered inflammation, and helped maintain testosterone levels in competitive cyclists. Bromelain can also help the body repair itself and is commonly used in the treatment for burns as a way to speed up the process of recovery.
The vitamin B6 content of bananas further establishes it as a great fruit for male hormones and makes it worth the calorie to volume ratio it may lack compared to other fruits.
Summary
The best fruits to eat for a testosterone boost are avocados, blueberries, watermelons, kiwis, dates, and bananas. All of these fruits will have a positive impact on testosterone levels. It is good, though to keep variety in the diet and no one of these fruits should be relied on entirely for nutrition and vitamin intake.
For more on male hormones and diet, such as the top 5 high protein low-calorie foods and wether or not milk increases estrogen in men, click here.
