Nutrition
Humans produce a hormone, called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), which tends to increase with aging. This hormone is designed to bind the hormone testosterone in men and estrogen in women, rendering these hormones unavailable for use. More SHBG means that less free testosterone is available to the tissues. Besides aging, being overweight will increase the levels of SHBG. This is one reason why overweight men tend to have lower testosterone and can be more prone to developing Andropause.

To make matters worse and cause a further reduction in testosterone levels, another hormone called HGH (human growth hormone) declines as we age and as HGH declines SHBG levels increase. HGH production is stimulated by protein in the diet and inhibited by carbohydrates.

So what is the best type of nutritional advice to promote better levels of SHBG and HGH and the resulting testosterone? That diet is the lower carbohydrate diet. A lower carbohydrate diet means less bread, rice, pasta, potato, corn and fruit, more vegetables, moderate protein and moderate fat - with every meal. A lower carbohydrate diet will promote weight loss, decrease the tendency towards diabetes and high blood pressure, and help keep testosterone levels up.

Excerpted from Sex For Life by David Saul, M.D. Copyright © 1999. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author.

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