Does our testosterone level drop because of age or because of the lifestyle that we lead?

It has been generally accepted that as a man ages, his testosterone level naturally declines. The common wisdom is that a man’s testosterone level peaks between late teens to late 20’s and “once you reach age 30, testosterone levels slowly decline by approximately 1% a year. This is a part of aging”.[1]

There are medical professionals that say we lose more like 2% every year after the age of 30. That is a lot of testosterone to lose. This can be both frustrating and depressing when we think that there is nothing we can do about it.

Wait a minute though – there may be light at the end of this dark, depressing testosterone tunnel.

Some newer research argues that, “declining testosterone levels are not an inevitable part of the aging process, as many people think”.[2]

Dr. Gary Wittert from the University of Adelaide in Australia conducted a study (supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council) where testosterone levels were measured in 1382 men over a 5 year period. The men were between the ages of 35 to 80, with 54 being the average age. Blood samples were tested at “the same time for each time point” (this is important as our testosterone levels change throughout the day).

What did they find?

On average, they found that testosterone levels did not have a significant decline over the five years; they found a decline that was less than 1% each year. But this is still a decline; is there an explanation? Fortunately, the researches further analyzed the data into subgroups and what they found supports the argument that age is not the determining factor in testosterone decline, but rather health is.age is not the determining factor in testosterone decline, but rather health is

They found that the declines were in the unhealthy men. That is, “men who had declines in testosterone were more likely to be those who became obese, had stopped smoking or were depressed” (past research shows a link between depression and low testosterone).

This is good, right? Heck yeah it is! It means that we are in control (or at least more control that what was believed) of our t levels. The only problem is, we have to make sure we take care of our health. This is not always easy, but the alternatives (loss of strength and muscle mass, loss of sex drive and sexual performance, depression, hair loss, loss of concentration, etc. ) should be strong motivators for us. Image being in your 70’s and feeling and looking great because your maintained testosterone level.

Learn more about low testosterone symptoms.

Dr. Wittert stresses that “it is critical that doctors understand that declining testosterone levels are not a natural part of aging and that they are most likely due to health-related behaviors or health status itself”.[2]

See All Natural Testosterone Supplements

[1] http://www.medicinenet.com/low_testosterone_low_t/article.htm
[2] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120623144944.htm