Avoid Low T with Magnesium and Zinc
Certain minerals keep your T levels high and healthy. Sadly, the harder you train the easier it becomes to develop a deficiency.
Up to 85% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. That’s a problem. Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Zinc deficiencies aren't as common, but they pose an equal health threat. Zinc plays a big role in hormonal status, energy levels, and carbohydrate management.
Being deficient in both zinc and magnesium also kills your natural testosterone levels.
The T Minerals
Without adequate amounts of these minerals, testosterone levels drop and testicular function falters. And the situation's worse with athletes and lifters. Zinc and magnesium leech out of the body through sweat. That potentially drops testosterone levels even further.
It's an easy fix, though. Just take chelated zinc and magnesium. Chelated minerals are bound to organic molecules, like amino acids. In this form, minerals are easily absorbed by the body. Elitepro Vital Minerals (Buy at Amazon) contains 400 mg of chelated magnesium and 30 mg of chelated zinc, more than enough to support healthy testosterone levels.
Signs You're Low in Zinc
Besides the muscle, strength, and performance issues caused by low zinc, there are other signs of possible deficiency, including:
- Difficulty putting on muscle
- Low libido
- Poor sleep
- Thinning hair
- Allergy-type symptoms
- Loss of appetite
- Dermatitis
- Weakened immunity
Zinc also plays a role in reproduction. It’s required to produce and regulate several hormones, including testosterone. It's also vital to the development of the male sex organs. Those with a deficiency have been found to have underdeveloped testes and a low sperm count.
Zinc also plays a major role in the production of prostatic fluid. Some studies even show a relationship between not having enough zinc and the ability to achieve and maintain an erection.
These relationships are easy to prove in lab experiments. One study even found that ingesting a little less zinc than normal negatively affected serum testosterone concentrations and seminal volume, but all it took to restore optimal function was a measly 10.4 mg. a day.
Another study, this one involving rats, showed that "testicular androgen contents" (androstenedione, testosterone, and androstanediol) decreased significantly in rats that were deficient in zinc.
Adding zinc to a zinc-deficient diet is thought to restore depleted androgen levels by increasing levels of luteinizing hormone, a pituitary hormone that stimulates testosterone production. Zinc also acts as a strong aromatase inhibitor, which means that it blocks the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.
Signs You're Low in Magnesium
- Difficulty putting on muscle
- Poor libido
- Difficulty losing fat
- Poor sleep
- Poor recovery
- Muscle cramps
- Anxiety
- Weakness and fatigue
- Eye twitches
Studies on magnesium indicate that supplemental amounts often increase performance, maybe because the mineral increases the bioavailability of testosterone.
One study showed that testosterone, rather than binding to SHBG, would rather bind with magnesium, thus increasing free levels of testosterone.
This phenomenon is even more pronounced in people who exercise. A study on bicyclists found that supplemental magnesium increased the free testosterone levels of sedentary people by 15%, but it increased free levels in athletes by an impressive 24%.
A third study, this one involving martial artists, found that athletes taking supplemental magnesium experienced significantly higher testosterone levels than sedentary subjects.
WHY Are We Low in Zinc and Magnesium?
Intense exercise and sweating exacerbate these mineral deficiencies, but diet plays the biggest role in most people.
Carbonated drinks are a big problem; the phosphate in the drinks binds with magnesium. So are phytates in various grains. Both sugar and caffeine have an antagonistic relationship with magnesium, too, and the more you ingest, the more of the minerals you lose.
Zinc deficiencies are caused by sweat-related losses, poor absorption, or reduced dietary intake from either avoiding zinc-rich foods or just ingesting plant sources grown under conditions that weren't ideal. We could try just eating more magnesium and zinc-rich foods, but absorption is sometimes poor, and you never know how much you're getting in certain foods (because of crappy soil, lack of sufficient sunlight, etc.).
Assuming ideal growing conditions, you'd still have to eat a lot of food to ensure adequate amounts. For instance, eating nine bananas would give you a fighting chance of meeting the RDA for magnesium, whereas eating several cups of seaweed might get you to your RDA of zinc.
A Smart Alternative
Use Elitepro Vital Minerals (Buy at Amazon) to fill your nutritional gaps. Along with fully chelated magnesium and zinc, ElitePro contains selenium, chromium, and vanadium.
Can Women Take It?
Yes. They're prone to the same deficiencies as men. Magnesium plays largely the same role (although lesser in magnitude) in women's testosterone levels as it does in men. Likewise, zinc also plays a role in female fertility and orgasm intensity.
References
- C D Hunt, P E Johnson, J Herbel, L K Mullen, "Effects of dietary zinc depletion on seminal volume and zinc loss, serum testosterone concentrations, and sperm morphology in young men." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 56, Issue 1, July 1992, Pages 148–157.
- Chakraborti S, et al. "Protective role of magnesium in cardiovascular diseases: a review." Mol Cell Biochem. 2002 Sep;238(1-2):163-79.
- Cinar V, Polat Y, Baltaci AK, Mogulkoc R, "Effects of magnesium supplementation on testosterone levels of athletes and sedentary subjects at rest and after exhaustion," Biol Trace Elem Res. 2011 Apr;140(1):18-23.
- Ford E, Mokdad A. "Dietary Magnesium Intake in a National Sample of U.S. Adults." J. Nutr. 133:2879-2882, September 2003.
- Hamdi SA, Nassif OI, Ardawi MS. "Effect of marginal or severe dietary zinc deficiency on testicular development and functions of the rat." Arch Androl. 1997 May-Jun;38(3):243-53.
- Nadler JL, et al. "Magnesium deficiency produces insulin resistance and increased thromboxane synthesis." Hypertension. 1993 Jun;21(6 Pt 2):1024-9.
- Tipton K, Green NR, Haymes EM, Waller M. "Zinc loss in sweat of athletes exercising in hot and neutral temperatures." 1993 Sep;3(3):261-71.