The question of whether or not vegetable oils affect testosterone levels in men has been a long debated one. Vegetable oils are often used as an alternative to animal-based fats because they are healthier for the body, but there is evidence that points towards them being detrimental to male hormone production. In this article, we will explore some of these studies and try to answer the question once and for all: do vegetable oils lower testosterone levels?
What Will I Learn
Are Vegetable Oils Good For Testosterone?
To ensure the correct balance of all your hormonal systems, you need to insure that your body is supported from all angles, that means getting the best from your diet, lifestyle and exercise.
Get them right and you will reap the benefits that run hand in hand with optimum hormone production, get them wrong and you will find yourself in a never ending circle of of belly fat, muscle loss and weakness.
One food stuff very commonly used throughout the western world in particular are vegetable oils.
This article looks at the benefits of this oil, what sort of effect can it have on the production of your key hormones, in particular Testosterone.
What Is Vegetable Oil
Vegetable Oil is a collective name from a group of oils that are liquid at room temperature. Common types include Palm, Peanut, Soybean, Olive, Safflower and Rapeseed (Canola) oils.
They are extracted from the seed of the plant which are presses under high pressure to separate the pup and the oil. The oils are then bleached and deodorised to ‘purify them’
Vegetables oils are composed of triglycerides which can be found in the human body, but they’re also present in coconut oil and palm kernel oil. The difference is that when you eat vegetable oils, your body breaks it down into free radicals that harm cells throughout the entire body.. These fatty acids oxidize LDL cholesterol (the bad one) leading to atherosclerosis – a hardening of arteries due to plaque formation on blood vessel walls. This further leads to heart disease . It has been proven in many studies . Furthermore, these fats increase estrogen levels by 50 percent!
Quite New
Vegetable oils are rather new in the general scheme of things, the process used in the manufacturer dates back just the early 20th century. Since the methods of production was developed, the use of vegetable oils increased dramatically.
Do Vegetable Oils Have Much Nutrient Value
In their simplest form, vegetarian oils are the triglycerides extracted from the various seeds of plants. Coming from the seed and not the plant itself, means that the nutrient profile is not as dense as it would coming from the plant itself
These oils are very high in fatty acids, 100g commonly providing around 880 calories.
The actual chemical composition will vary depending on the seeds used, but on average, Vegetable oils will give you:
- Saturated Fats (SFA) 10-15%
- Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA) 25-30%
- Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFA) 50-55%
Most also provide a very large amount of Omega 6 – an essential fatty acid that is commonly found in the western diet.
Does That Mean That Vegetable Oils Are Healthy?
There are a number of studies out there that examine the effect of vegetable oils when taken regularly in our diet.
Too much Omega 6 can be problematic. Before the modern day industrial revolution, the levels of omega 6 in our diets was similar to the amount of another key fatty acid – omega 3,
Over time as the use of vegetable oils have grown drastically, the levels of omega 6 increased at the expense of omega 3.
The issue that this caused is that both types vie for the same receptors in our body, with more omega 6 in our diets, this means that more omega 6 now ends up in our cells.
40 years ago the ratio between omega 6 and 3 was 4:1, nowadays its possibly up to 20:1
This Means An Increase In Chronic Inflammatory Disease.
Omega 3 fatty acids are known for their ability to reduce inflammation, on the other hand, too much omega 6 has the opposite effect and promotes inflammation.
This does mean that a high intake of vegetable oils can cause some inflammatory related illnesses:
- Cardio vascular disease
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- IBS (Irritable Bowel syndrome)
- Certain Cancers
The health journal Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy published a report that suggested that high levels omega 6 promote inflammatory diseases, while Omega 3 suppresses inflammation, improving overall health.
“Excess Omega 6 Consumption From Vegetable Oils Is Linked To An Increase In Long Term Inflammatory Diseases”
Do Vegetable Oils Have An Effect On Testosterone Production?
Omega 3 tends to be found in foods that are high in Vitamin D – This is a recognised and effective testosterone boosting ingredient. On the other hand Omega 6 has no relationship to anything that can elevate hormone levels.
The Journal Of Applied Physiology found a strong link between the amount of PUFA fats consumed by humans and their testosterone levels.
The study recorded that while the total amounts of both total fat and saturated fat intake helped increase testosterone in 12 active men. Those men who took increased levels of Omega 6 found in vegetable oils saw their testosterone levels drop.
Experts do believe that the use of vegetable oils can actually reduce fertility, with the increasing number of users worldwide, there has been an actually drop in average global sperm count of up to 60% over the past 50 years. Luckily, this can be countered by taking sensible and healthy steps to increase semen volume ands sperm count.
Although there could be a number of reasons for this decline, the correlation between the increased use of vegetables oils and reduced fertility rates is rather strong.
High Levels Of Omega 6 Will Lower Reproductive Functions
Studies show that a high Ratio of omega 6 against omega 3 has a detrimental effect on reproductive tissue
One key study confirmed that a high Omega 6/3 ratio was directly linked to negative sperm motility, viability and the normal morphology of testicular tissue.
Studies looking at a more balanced ratio of Omega 6 and 3 saw higher sperm count and increase fertility
“Evidence shows that a high intake of PUFA fats (found in vegetable oils) will lower your testosterone levels and reduce fertility”
To Sum Up
Its clear that the foods we eat have direct effect on all aspects of our health.
With the development of extraction processes and the increased manufacturing of vegetable oils the consumption of PUFA fats and Omega 6 has increased dramatically.
Studies have followed this trend and have proven that increased intake of these omega 6 fatty acids are linked to testosterone decline and falling fertility rates in men.
I suggest that you keep the intake of vegetable oils to a minimum to protect your valuable testosterone levels.
