Tip Maximize Testosterone with Two Minerals Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness EatingSex & HormonesSupplements Tip Maximize Testosterone with Two Minerals Most athletes and lifters are running low on two key minerals that support T production Here' s how to fix that by Erick Avila March 20, 2016September 7, 2021 Tags Magnesium, Nutrition & Supplements, Testosterone Boosters, Tips, Zinc If you're deficient in zinc and magnesium, as many athletes and rigorous exercisers are, your natural testosterone level will plummet. Here's why and how to fix it. Magnesium Numerous studies on men have shown magnesium to be positively associated with total testosterone. Unfortunately, deficiencies in magnesium are common because people don't generally get enough of it from dietary sources. What magnesium does is increase the bioavailability of testosterone. As a natural process of aging – or as a consequence of low protein diets – sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations increase and these globulins bind with testosterone so that it's unavailable to the body. However, one study showed that testosterone preferred binding to magnesium rather than SHBG, thus preserving free levels of testosterone, and hence its anabolic effects, too. In another study, 30 males, aged 18-22 (both sedentary and active), received 10mg/kg magnesium for four weeks and it elevated their free and total testosterone values. Interestingly, those individuals participating in intensive exercise activities were observed to have even greater increases in testosterone levels in conjunction with magnesium supplementation. Suggested Intake: If you were to exactly replicate the amounts used in the above study, you'd take 10 mg of magnesium per kg bodyweight, so a 100 kg person (about 220 pounds) would take one gram daily. That's a lot. Better to use more sane doses. The RDA is about 420 mg. a day for an adult male, so to enhance testosterone production, experiment with 750 mg. a day for a few weeks and see how you feel. Dietary Sources of Magnesium Dark green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, kale, collard greens, swiss chard) Fish (halibut, salmon, mackerel, tuna, pollock) Nuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts) Seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds) Legumes (black beans, edamame, kidney beans) Avocados Bananas Raisins Zinc Low testosterone is commonly associated with zinc deficiencies as androgen receptors are often altered in zinc deficient individuals. Adding zinc to the diet has been shown in various studies to increase levels of luteinizing hormone, a pituitary hormone that stimulates testosterone production. Studies have also shown zinc to be a strong aromatase inhibitor, which can block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Suggested Intake: 30 mg daily Dietary Sources of Zinc Shellfish (oysters, crabs, lobster, shrimp) Beef Pork Chicken Dairy products (Swiss cheese, yogurt, milk, cheddar cheese, mozzarella) Legumes (baked beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, white beans, mung beans) Oatmeal Nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts) Seeds (pumpkin, squash, pine nuts, chia, flaxseeds) Supplement Solution If eating a lot of collard greens and mung beans isn't something you want to do, simply supplement with ZMA. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating Tip Make Protein Powder Ice Cream High protein, super clean, no added sugar, and holy-crap delicious. Get the easy recipe here. Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins, Protein, Recipes, Tips Chris Shugart May 5 Eating Get More Out of Your Protein Everyone fights about how much protein to eat, but what really matters is how much protein you absorb. Here's how to soak up every gram. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein Chris Albert August 28 Eating Beat the Snot Out of Death Are your bulking phases, or just the act of eating like a bodybuilder, shortening your athletic career or your life? It's possible, but Dr. L's got a plan and it involves "calorie restriction mimetics." Read, learn, live long and prosper. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Lonnie Lowery, PhD January 30 Eating Tip Strict Diets vs Your Metabolism Here's what you need to know about rigid eating plans, adaptive thermogenesis, and metabolic compensation. Diet & Fat Loss, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements Dr Jade Teta July 9