Alcohol and Testosterone: Does Alcohol Affect the Level of Testosterone?

Alcohol and TestosteroneIn most cases, the men testes produce Testosterone. A lot of male can drink alcoholic beverages. So could be the alcohol testosterone myth really true? In terms of endogenous or naturally produced hormones in the torso, your body itself has the capacity to monitor levels and also other body functions. Throw drinking to the mix and things can alter. Taking any prescription drug or over-the-counter drugs and combining it with alcoholic beverages may raise the threat of unwanted side effects and adverse reactions.

Alcohol and Testosterone Production

Let’s just begin by the fact you do not have to completely throw in the towel drinking in order to have naturally high testosterone levels…
Since few drinks here and there ain’t enough to cause any dramatic reductions in testosterone. In terms of alcohol and testosterone, it is the dose that really matters.

However, if you’re an alcoholic, and drinking you to ultimately the idea of passing out on several times of the week, then you can be damn sure that your testosterone production has tanked (and you also probably know this yourself already as a result of the unwanted effects it offers on sexual functioning).

Can Alcohol Increase Testosterone?

Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be utilized by men desiring an increased athletic performance, boosted stamina, and in enhancing overall manhood. Prescribed testosterone is usually only in situations where a guy or an adolescent male is diagnosed with an absence or extremely low testosterone levels that features an effect on growth, development, as well as other aspects of health and wellness.

So How Exactly Does Alcohol Lower Testosterone?

The solution varies depending on the style of alcohol you drink—and it also varies greatly between your sexes.

Beer, by way of example, often contains two chemicals that will increase estrogen (and as a consequence decrease testosterone): phytoestrogen and prolactin. These chemicals are observed in hops as well as in barley, two very common ingredients in several beers.

Wine also contains phytoestrogen (a chemical contained in many plants), as well as some liquors (like bourbon) contain these chemicals.

These chemicals can increase a man’s natural amounts of estrogen, reducing his testosterone levels.

The additional calories from way too many beers also causes men to achieve weight—and fat has an awful tendency to make a lot more estrogen.

Nonetheless it does not end there. For men, ethanol alcohol is a testicular toxin, and we’ve known for a long time that, in large doses, it reduces testosterone function, sperm fertility, fertility, and certainly will even damage the testes.

In reality, alcoholic men often suffer infertility and abnormally low testosterone.

Women actually have the contrary problem—excessive alcohol consumption often contributes to increased testosterone levels, sometimes even resulting in the increasing loss of female sexual characteristics.

Needs to obtain the picture? A lot of alcohol plays havoc along with your body’s ability to create hormones correctly, no matter your sex.

Exactly what about alcohol use in moderation? Does alcohol lower testosterone if used sparingly?

Study Conducted

Here you will find the already known mechanisms of action in how alcohol lowers testosterone:

The metabolic process of ethanol lowers the amount of the coenzyme NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) in liver and testes. NAD+ is important component of the electron donoring procedure needed in the generation of testosterone and different other androgens, hence why it’s believed that alcohol lowers testosterone in a dose-depending way.

Alcohol stimulates the brain to release beta-opioid endorphins, that are exactly why you obtain really relaxed after few beers. Sadly those endorphins will also be notorious for their negative effect on testosterone synthesis.

Alcohol consumption causes oxidative damage during the testicular leydig cells and various other bodily tissues, that leads to local reduction of testosterone within the ballsack, and also to the destruction of some testosterone molecules already in circulation, as a result of ramifications of the strain hormone: cortisol.

Chronically high alcohol consumption can significantly increase estrogen levels. This might be because of the fact that it improves the activity associated with aromatase enzyme, which functions by converting the male sex hormone: testosterone, in to the female sex hormone: estrogen.

How Does Alcohol Affect Muscle Growth?

The body metabolizes drugs and alcohol. Like drugs, alcohol travels via the blood stream to eventually be metabolized primarily by the liver. It might have a side effect on a drug’s access. Availability is described as the efficiency of a drug dose to achieve a particular action site. Also one beverage can conflict since of the k-calorie burning of a drug.

Consuming alcohol and testosterone at the same time can lessen the potency of the hormone therapy and may also have an impact from the metabolic system as well. The NIAA also mentions that chronic utilization of alcohol (noted during the male rats) not merely decreases reproductive capabilities, but all around health and wellness. On it’s own, this has shown an ability to inhibit secretion of hormones because of the testes and can even even have a negative effect on the forming of production of hormones.

Side Effects of Mixing Alcohol & Testosterone Boosters

A number of the serious side effects associated with mixing alcohol and testosterone include:

  • irregular heartbeat
  • chest pain
  • severe headaches
  • eye pain
  • high blood pressure
  • vision issues such as seeing halos
  • low potassium levels
  • pancreatitis
  • coughing up blood

These symptoms could be related to both steroid use in addition to chronic alcoholic beverage use, and combining the two main together may increase risk to get more serious side effects. Other signs and symptoms of mixing the drinks with the androgen can be less serious but simply as detrimental to overall health and wellness, particularly if you’re binge drinking. Such unwanted side effects may present as:

  • slower healing rates
  • changes in mood or attitude
  • difficulty sleeping or insomnia
  • dizziness
  • altered disbursement of excessive fat

Some injectable types of steroids warn against not only consumption, but even interaction along with other over-the-counter vitamins, herbal products, and medicines. It is never smart to mix drinking with any prescription drug, including any form of testosterone aside from dosage or milligram strength.

Remember that testosterone is understood to be a Schedule C controlled substance under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act. In terms of safety, always see the label insert and keep in touch with the physician in regards to the potential dangers of mixing alcohol and testosterone – or any steroid.

Conclusion on Alcohol and Testosterone

As one can see, boosting testosterone and alcohol consumption don’t go hand in hand, simply because it adversely affects a wide range of systems required in normal endocrine functionality.


Dave Frances