Does Keto increase testosterone?
Yes! A healthy ketogenic diet will likely include lots of foods that boost testosterone production. So should a Keto diet and testosterone production be linked together? I would say yes but only in certain scenarios. You can find out why & the scenarios that the keto diet and testosterone production are positively connected. By reading on.
What Is A Ketogenic Diet?
I’ll keep this very high level. The ketogenic diet focuses on high-fat, low carbs & getting adequate protein levels. This type of diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates as the primary source of energy. This happens when there is so little carbohydrate in the diet, that your liver then converts fat into fatty acids & ketone bodies.
The ketone bodies are then used to replace glucose as an energy source. This elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood is a state known as ketosis. So in short a ketogenic diet, is a style of eating that gets your body in to a stage of ketosis. There are several versions of this diet available. In the sense that there are several guides and books available.
You Can See The Web MD Description For The Keto Diet Here
Some differ slightly in terms of the ratio of fats, to carbs and protein. Most however only differ in terms of what recipes they recommend. I will be publishing an article shortly. Providing a review of my recommended Keto diets. For now check out the Keto diet plan I’ve tried & reviewed most recently.
Check Out This Review Of My Recommended Keto Diet Plan Here
Foods That Boost Testosterone You Can Eat On a Keto Diet
I feel like we have to an extent covered this above but the types of foods you will typically see in keto recipes are as follows:
- Avocado
- Seafood
- Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc.)
- Coconut Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Olive Oil
- Eggs
- Greek Yogurt
- Cheeses
- Beef
- Pork
- Poultry
You will hopefully recognize most of these as being included in my big list of foods that boost testosterone production article. Which you can check out below. Most foods in the keto diet being foods that increase testosterone naturally. Is part the reason the keto diet can be effective for boosting testosterone.
48 Foods That Boost Testosterone Production
Benefits Of A Keto Diet
As we’ve covered on one of the key benefits of a Ketogenic diet, is that it contains a lot of foods that boost testosterone production.
These are some other benefits:
- Increased weight loss & greater long term weight loss
- Increased muscle mass gains
- Steady supply of Energy throughout the day
- Eliminates Sugar Spikes & Crashes
- Mood stabilizer for people with type 2 Bipolar disorder
- Can reduce effects/ cure type 2 diabetes
- Help reduce the effects of epilepsy
Check Out My Review Of Keto Resource Here
Potential Negatives
The same as with anything in life, while there are plenty of positives to a keto diet, there are some potential negatives as well. These are as follows:
- Developing the “keto Flu” in the first few days (can include fatigue, vomiting, lethargy)
- You can potentially go hypoglycemic (too little blood sugar)
- Irregular bowel movements til your body adapts
- A risk of causing hypoglycemia (having too little blood sugar & health issues associated with this)
You will notice that the majority of the health issues will pass with time and can come from not doing the keto diet correctly/ safely. We will come on to this as to how you can make sure you follow it properly and the best resources out there to follow. The other thing to note is if you suffer from diabetes or heart disease, I advise you consult your GP. Also make sure you use the best resources, to make sure you do the keto diet correctly.
Check Out This Review Of My Recommended Keto Diet Plan Here
So, How and When Does Keto Increase Testosterone?
The biggest killer of testosterone production is carrying high body fat. You can find out more about this below. Two other major killers of testosterone production are. A diet high in sugar & a diet high in omega 6 & inflammatory foods. A keto diet when done correctly. Helps you address all three for increased testosterone production.
So I would say that the Keto diet is ideal when you have a lot of body fat to lose. As you still get plenty of dietary cholesterol & nutrients needed that aid testosterone production. Now I would say that for optimal testosterone production. You do need carbohydrates in your diet. So if you have a lot of body fat to lose.
I’d suggest Keto till you are at about 20% body fat. From then I’d suggest you start adding unprocessed carbs (berries etc.) to help keep your sugar low, while still giving the body the carbs needed for optimal testosterone production.
Take A Look At My Keto Resource Review Here
Why These Are Foods That Boost Testosterone Production
High In Saturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat & Cholesterol
The majority of the foods you will eat as part of the keto diet are high in saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and healthy HDL cholesterol. These help boost testosterone production and you will be getting these in abundance!
Foods High In Minerals
The majority of the foods on the keto diet provide you with a great supply of minerals required for testosterone production. This includes minerals like Zinc, magnesium, selenium & boron.
Minimal Grains & Refined Grains
Grains as a whole aren’t great for your testosterone production for a few different reasons. One is they often contain phytoestrogens (plant based estrogen). They are also often high in sugars which lowers testosterone production. Quite often they are high in Omega 6 & low in/ no omega 3 as well, which causes inflammation, which further lowers testosterone production. So hopefully it is quite clear why having minimal grains in your diet will help boost testosterone production & is likely better for your health as a whole!
No Foods High In Sugar
High amounts of sugar in your diet lead to insulin spikes and insulin spikes suppress testosterone production. So the keto diet forcing you down the path of using fat for energy and maintaining low sugar intake, help with a natural testosterone booster on this front as well.
Check Out This Review Of My Recommended Keto Diet Plan Here
How The Benefits Of The Keto Diet Brings Helps Increase Testosterone Production
Increased weight loss & greater long term weight loss
As mentioned earlier. Carrying high amounts of body fat, is the biggest killer of natural testosterone production. When you carry high body fat, your testosterone is converted to estrogen. High body fat also inhibits testosterone production. This all leads to higher levels of body fat, which in turn leads to higher estrogen & lower testosterone. Basically creates a negative feedback loop.
You Can Find Out More About Why Losing Body Fat Is Vital For Healthy T Production Here!
Having lower/ your body fat being within the healthy range leads to a natural testosterone booster. If you are currently overweight, the more your body weight drops the more you will see your T soars. This in turn will help you burn even more fat, which is part the reason that a Keto diet is so effective for fat loss.
If your body fat becomes too low your T production can also slow down. If weight loss is your aim, this certainly isn’t something you need to worry in terms of testosterone production at this point. I will be creating more articles focusing purely on testosterone and body fat/ fat loss, so keep an eye out for that in the near future.
Lowered Sugar Intake/ Increased Insulin Sensitivity
When you have a high intake of sugar. Your testosterone production is inhibited. This is due to insulin being released which stops testosterone from being produced. When insulin is constantly released due to high sugar intake.
Your body starts to become resistant to it. which means your body then needs to release even more to deal with the sugar. This then means that your testosterone gets inhibited more & more. So the Keto diet being low sugar, helps you increase your insulin resistance. As your body will become more responsive to it again.
Check Out This Review Of My Recommended Keto Diet Plan Here
Final Thoughts On Foods That Boost Testosterone & Ketogenic Diets
Lots of men today are asking the question, “does keto increase testosterone?”
Maybe you were one of them. If so, then hopefully this article has made it clear why the keto diet is made up of foods that boost testosterone production. Why the benefits you get from the keto diet. Can help you increase testosterone production. Particularly if you are carrying excess body fat. The other healthy benefits of the keto diet. What some of the potential negatives of the Keto diet are.
Hopefully you now have enough information to decide if it’s something you want to look at further. If you fo I suggest that you check out my Keto Resource Review If you just interesting in foods that boost testosterone production. I suggest that you check out my article below.
48 Foods That Boost Testosterone Production
If you have any experience with the keto diet, questions or thoughts on foods that boost testosterone production as a whole, just drop me a comment below and I’ll get back to you. The same as always, please share this article with anyone you think may find it interesting. You can follow me on my social media sites for more information and tips around foods that boost testosterone production and how to maintain healthy T production as a whole!
