A Gut Bug That Lowers T
A new study finds that your gut health strongly affects T levels and more. Here's what you need to know.
A big city and your gut have a lot in common. For example, both are populated with living organisms. In a city, those living organisms are people. For the city to thrive, you need more productive citizens than criminals. Upset that ratio and the city crumbles.
In your gut, those living organisms are bacteria. When you have mostly good bacteria, the metropolis of your GI tract flourishes. Digestion and nutrient absorption are optimized, the immune system is strong, hormones are balanced, inflammation is controlled, and mental health is strengthened.
Now, a new study gives us some insights into how gut bacteria affect our testosterone levels. Specifically, it discusses how one type of "criminal" gut bacteria degrades our favorite hormone: testosterone.
The Study
We've known for a while that testosterone deficiency is associated with hyperlipidemia – abnormally high levels of fats (cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood, which increases the risk of heart disease.
This new study identified a link between gut bacteria and testosterone metabolism, with Pseudomonas nitroreducens (a gut bug) playing a role in testosterone degradation and hyperlipidemia in men. Essentially, P. nitroreducens degrades testosterone via the 3β/17β-HSD enzyme.
Part of the study involved colonizing the guts of mice with P. nitroreducens. Sure enough, this reduced serum testosterone levels and lead to elevated lipid profiles. Researchers also took fecal samples from humans with and without hyperlipidemia. Those with hyperlipidemia had gut microbiomes full of P. nitroreducens.
The researchers hope this information will one day help us develop antibiotic treatments targeting testosterone-degrading bacteria. It could be a new way to treat low T and ameliorate dyslipidemia. However, they acknowledge how tricky antibiotic treatment can be, as it could lead to dysbiosis and antibiotic resistance.
A Natural Solution
The first step, of course, is to get your diet in check and encourage the growth of good bacteria which helps kick the bad bacteria out of town:
- Eliminate excess sugar and junk foods that feed harmful bacteria.
- Introduce beneficial bacteria with fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut.
- Consume fiber-rich foods like oats and other prebiotics to keep the good bacteria fed.
In short, feed the good guys and starve the bad guys, including P. nitroreducens.
One prebiotic fiber stands out in this application: beta glucan. Beta glucan reduces P. nitroreducens colonization in the gut by influencing microbial balance and gut health in several ways:
- Beta glucan serves as a fermentable substrate for beneficial gut bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs lower gut pH and create an environment less favorable for P. nitroreducens.
- Beta glucan has immunomodulatory effects. It strengthens your body's immune response against unwanted bacterial overgrowth and helps maintain a balanced microbiome.
- Beta glucan reduces inflammatory markers, which promote a gut environment that discourages the overgrowth of testosterone-degrading bacteria.
- Beta glucan forms a gel-like matrix in the gut, interfering with bacterial adhesion to the intestinal lining. This helps limit colonization by P. nitroreducens.
Beta Glucan: The Best Source
Beta glucan is found in small amounts in oats, barley, yeast, and certain mushrooms. The problem? The beta glucan they contain isn't very bioavailable due to their thick cellular walls. The most bioavailable source is algal beta-1,3-glucan, extracted from Euglena gracilis.
Each serving of Biotest Beta Glucan (Buy at Amazon) contains 600 mg derived from Euglena gracilis algae.
In addition to combatting testosterone-degrading bacteria, beta glucan is also known for boosting immunity and fat loss.
Reference
- Tao, J., et al. "Role of Intestinal Testosterone-Degrading Bacteria and 3/17β-HSD in the Pathogenesis of Testosterone Deficiency-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Males." NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, vol. 10, 2024, article 599. Nature.