9 Warning Signs of Low Testosterone in men

by Ryan Wallace, Reviewed by George Krucik, MD, MBA

Is it Low Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone that is produced by the body. In men, testosterone is mostly produced in the testicles and is responsible for stimulating sperm production and sex drive, as well as building muscles and bone mass. As men age, testosterone production decreases. When production drastically drops or ceases, a range of symptoms and complications can occur. Signs of low testosterone (low T) are often subtle and are mistaken as a natural part of aging.

What is Low Testosterone?

Low testosterone is diagnosed when levels fall below 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) (NIH, 2012). Andropause—decline in testosterone production—is the male counterpart to menopause. But while women experience a drastic decrease in estrogen at a certain age, the production of testosterone in men decreases gradually. If it decreases more than it should, men can experience a wide range of symptoms.

Low Sex Drive

Testosterone plays a key role in a man’s libido. As men age, most of them experience a decline in sex drive to varying degrees. However, someone with low T will likely experience a more drastic drop in his desire to have sex—which is often noticed by him or his partner. During sex, low levels of testosterone can also make it difficult to achieve an orgasm (womenshealth.gov, 2011).

Difficulty Achieving Erection

Testosterone stimulates a man’s sex drive—and it also aids in achieving an erection. Testosterone alone doesn’t cause an erection, but it stimulates receptors in the brain to produce nitric oxide—a molecule that helps trigger an erection. Low T is also linked to many conditions that cause erectile dysfunction, including obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

Low Semen Volume

Testosterone plays a role in the production of semen, the fluid that aids in the motility of sperm. It’s pretty simple: the more testosterone a man has, the more semen he produces. Men with low T will notice a decrease in the volume of their sperm during ejaculation.

Hair Loss

Testosterone plays a role in several body functions, including hair production. Balding is a natural part of aging for many men. However, men with low T may experience a loss of body and facial hair

Fatigue & Lack of Energy

Men with low T have reported extreme fatigue and a noticeable decrease in energy levels. If you are tired all of the time, despite getting plenty of sleep, or if you are finding it harder to get motivated to hit the gym or exercise, you might be experiencing symptoms of low testosterone.

Loss of Muscle Mass

Because testosterone plays a role in the building and strengthening of muscle, men with low T might notice a decrease in both muscle mass and strength, especially in their arms, legs, or chest (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Those who try to reverse the muscle loss through weight training might find it difficult to build or rebuild muscle.

Increase in Body Fat

If losing muscles wasn’t bad enough, men with low T also experience an increase in body fat. Although the reasons behind this are not entirely clear, research has shown that the genes that control body fat percentage are also responsible for circulating testosterone levels in men. 

Decrease in Bone Mass

The weakening of bones—called osteoporosis—is often thought of as a condition that happens only in women. However, men with low T can also experience bone loss because testosterone aids in the production and strengthening of bone. Men with low T—especially older men who have had low T for years—are more susceptible to bone fractures, usually in the hip, feet, ribs, and wrists.

Mood Changes

Women often experience changes in mood during menopause, when their levels of estrogen drop. Men with low levels of testosterone can experience similar symptoms. Testosterone is often described as “fuel” for men. It drives many physical processes in their bodies. But it also boosts their mood and mental capacity. Research has shown that men with low T are more likely to experience depression, irritability, or a lack of focus (Mayo Clinic, 2012).

Is coffee good or bad for me?

from Donald Hensrud, M.D.

Coffee has a long history of being blamed for many ills — from stunting your growth to claims that it causes heart disease and cancer. But recent research indicates that coffee may not be so bad after all. So which is it — good or bad? The best answer may be that for most people the health benefits outweigh the risks.

Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease. In fact, most studies find an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality, although this may not be true in younger people who drink large amounts of coffee.

Why the apparent reversal in the thinking about coffee? Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time.

Studies have shown that coffee may have health benefits, including protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease, including liver cancer. It also appears to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression.

However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. And some studies found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk.

Although coffee may have fewer risks compared with benefits, keep in mind that other beverages, such as milk and some fruit juices, contain nutrients that coffee does not. Also, adding cream and sugar to your coffee adds more fat and calories. Some coffee drinks contain more than 500 calories.

Baby boomers find youth in testosterone

By Jacque Wilson

(CNN) -- For thousands of years, explorers have been searching for the Fountain of Youth. Legend has it the elusive fountain contains a restorative source that brings endless vitality to those who drink from its pool.

No one knows what the source is, exactly. It's been called everything from the "water of life" to the "elixir of immortality."

These days, anti-aging specialists simply refer to it as "T."

You'd think T, or testosterone, was pure magic from its advertised results: increased energy, better mental concentration, less fat, more muscle, fewer sleepless nights and a higher sex drive. But experts say altering your body's natural hormone levels can be dangerous if not done properly.

As more FDA-approved products hit the market, the baby boomer generation is taking note. In 2011, consumers spent approximately $1.6 billion on prescription testosterone therapies, almost triple the amount spent in 2006, according to market research company IMS Health.

Dr. Harvey Bartnof is the founder of the California Longevity & Vitality Medical Institute. His practice focuses on age management medicine and hormone replacement therapies for both men and women. He says patients come to him to slow the aging process; they want to remain active and engaged as they grow older.

"We have medications that help people stay alive longer, but the quality of life declines," Bartnof says. "People would rather not go down the pathway of ... mom, dad if they don't have to."

'Viagra for the boardroom'

Testosterone is naturally produced primarily through a man's testes. (The hormone is also found in women, but that's another story.) The hormone helps regulate bone density, fat distribution, muscle strength, red blood cell production, sex drive and sperm production, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Bartnof compares it to oil in a machine -- while other systems make your body "go," hormones such as testosterone grease the wheels so they work smoothly.

The body's production of testosterone peaks in early adulthood and typically declines about 1% each year after age 30, according to the Mayo Clinic website. A low testosterone level is called hypoandrogenism.

Symptoms of hypoandrogenism include insomnia, fewer erections, reduced muscle strength, depression, trouble concentrating and hair loss.

In other words, getting old, John Freiburger quips. The 48-year-old financial planner first started feeling the effects of his age a few years ago.

As the founder of an Illinois wealth management firm, he was juggling multiple clients' portfolios a day. He found his concentration in meetings started to fade earlier, even when he made an effort to hit the gym more often and eat right.

"Being in the business that I'm in, you need to be on top of your game," Freiburger says. "For a lot of men, it's like, 'Oh yeah, I'm getting old.' I'm not very good at accepting that it's the way it needs to be."

Up until a few years ago, testosterone was mostly the choice of competitive body builders and professional athletes. Now, everyone from Wall Street executives to corporate office managers are taking what the media has dubbed "Viagra for the boardroom."

Testosterone replacement therapies come in many forms, according to Nelson Vergel, author of "Testosterone: A Man's Guide." The hormone can be injected into muscle, absorbed through the skin via a cream/gel, or released slowly through a small pellet that's inserted into the body. A doctor does regular blood tests to determine the correct dosage.

Freiburger saw results just two days after beginning his hormone therapy. First, his energy levels skyrocketed. Then he saw an increase in his concentration level at work. Soon after, his libido returned, and within a month he was losing weight and putting on muscle at the gym.

"I'm a better person. I'm a better wealth manager," he said. "(I) have the energy, vitality to go conquer the world."

No magic pill

You've likely read that there's no magic pill for perfect health. While direct-to-consumer marketing may make it seem otherwise, testosterone is no exception, Vergel says.

"I'm just amazed how many men start a hormone without doing research," he says. "It's a wonderful thing to start if you need it. It also has some side effects if not done properly."

The hormone will help you lose weight and build muscle, but not without proper exercise and nutrition. It will also improve your sex drive; what it won't do, Vergel says, is make you into a teenage Casanova.

A 2004 study showed nearly 20% of patients may not respond fully to testosterone therapies. And the benefits from testosterone can plateau anywhere from six weeks to one year into treatment.

One of the biggest things to be aware of is that most men never stop testosterone replacement therapy, says Dr. Gregory Broderick, a urologist with the Mayo Clinic.

Once you start, your body begins shutting down natural production of the hormone, thinking it's no longer needed, he explains. This can lead to "shrinkage" of the testicles and a suppression of sperm production.

Broderick says finding a qualified doctor is key. Anti-aging is a new field and most doctors are not trained in hormone therapy, so they learn as they go from pharmaceutical reps and the latest published research. Testosterone replacement therapies often fall to physicians who specialize in "boutique medicine."

Once you find a physician, he or she should screen for prostate cancer before starting treatment. While studies have shown testosterone replacement therapies do not increase the likelihood of developing the cancer, they can encourage tumor growth if a patient already has it.

Broderick recommends getting blood work done every three to four months after beginning testosterone therapy. Men taking testosterone have increased levels of red blood cells, which can lead to complications with circulation, depriving areas of the body of oxygen, and potentially put them at risk for cardiovascular problems.

On average, testosterone replacement therapy costs less than $40 a month. But many baby boomers, such as Freiburger, are using it as part of a more expensive holistic approach to staying healthy into their senior years -- and they say it's worth the cost.

"I would like to have as much quality of life and be as vital as I can as long as the Lord's going to have me on this earth," Freiburger says. "I'm going to take the time and financial resources to try to make that a reality."

5 shocking reasons why Americans are getting fatter

It's not just the fast food...

MARTHA ROSENBERG

Americans have become huge. Between the 1960s and the 2000s, Americans grew, on the average, an inch taller and 24 pounds heavier. The average American man today weights 194 pounds and the average woman 165 pounds. The growing girth has led to the creation of special-sized ambulances, operating tables and coffins as well as bigger seats on planes and trains. Almost a third of American children and teens are overweight, but 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight in one study. Why? The adults are probably overweight too.

Still there are scientific reasons why Americans are blimping up and they aren’t limited to eating too much and exercising too little. Here are a few areas under suspicion.

1. Antibiotics in food and as medicine. A recent article in the New York Times confirms suspicions that the antibiotics routinely given to livestock to make them fat do the same thing to people. Antibiotics are thought to fatten by changing gut bacteria to make absorption of nutrients more efficient. In 1974, an experiment was done on several hundred Navy recruits to see if they would gain weight on antibiotics and, after only seven weeks, they did. An experiment was also done, unethically it sounds, on “mentally deficient spastic” children in Guatemala in the 1950s, reports the Times. The children gained an extra five pounds over a year compared with children who were not given antibiotics. Denmark researchers found babies given antibiotics within six months of birth were more likely to be overweight by age seven.

---

---

Most researchers blame over-prescription of antibiotics for excessive human exposure; US children get as many as 20 antibiotic treatments while they are growing up, says Martin Blaser, a leading antibiotic researcher at New York University Langone Medical Center. But studies show there are antibiotic residues in US food too, especially in meat and milk, and the government tests for them. That means even if you avoid unnecessary antibiotics from the doctor, you could be getting them from the grocery store.

2. Other livestock fatteners. If antibiotics used to make livestock fat could make us fat, is there any reason to think other weight-producing drugs for livestock wouldn’t do the same?Ractopamine, marketed as Paylean for pigs, Optaflexx for cattle and Topmax for turkeys is widely used in the US and banned in many other countries. It is given to 60 to 80 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle and an undisclosed number of turkeys. There is no withdrawal period for ractopamine before slaughter but Big Ag says the drug is not in the meat because it exits the animal as manure. Okay, but what happens to the manure?

Also banned in European countries are the hormones US cattle growers rely upon, such as oestradiol-17, trenbolone acetate, zeranol and melengestrol. Zeranol may have more actions than just making mammals fat. It is a “powerful estrogenic chemical, as demonstrated by its ability to stimulate growth and proliferation of human breast tumor cells in vitro at potencies similar to those of the natural hormone estradiol and the known carcinogen diethylstilbestrol,” says the Breast Cancer Fund. Translation: it may be linked to US breast cancer rates, too. No wonder Europe doesn’t want our beef.

3. Pesticides and other endocrine disrupters. Some antibiotics and artificial sweeteners are similar molecules to endocrine disrupters—the chemicals used to make fire retardants and plastics that are increasingly in our food and environment. Endocrine disrupters, like BPA (Bisphenol A), banned in some baby bottles, and Triclosan found in Colgate’s Total and many dish detergents, are linked to a host of shocking symptoms like genital deformities in wildlife and infertility, low sperm counts and possible early puberty and diabetes in humans. But they also may be linked to obesity.

s early as 2003, the journal Toxicological Sciences addressed effects that endocrine disruptors have on fetal development that likely play a role in adult obesity. “Obesity has been proposed to be yet another adverse health effect of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during critical stages of development,” echoes an article in the International Journal of Andrology. Pregnant women with high levels of the endocrine disrupter PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid used in the manufacture of as Teflon and Gore-Tex) in their bodies were three times as likely to have daughters who grew up to be overweight, reported the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof.

4. Sugar substitutes. Artificial sweeteners have always been billed as a way to cut calories and lose weight. But recent research shows they may do just the opposite. When researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center studied 474 people who drank two or more artificially sweetened soft drinks a day they found the people gained five times as much as those not drinking diet drinks. Thanks for nothing!

There are three reasons artificial sweeteners may do more harm than good. One is that some of the sweeteners—which tend to be chemicals like acesulfame potassium and aspartame—may slow metabolism, speculate researchers. Secondly, artificial sweeteners separate “food seeking behavior” from the “reward” of real nutrients and can set up sweets addictions because the reward is never received. They literally “train” people to crave sweets. Finally the presence of artificial sweeteners in a product doesn’t automatically mean natural sweeteners aren’t present too. Some food manufacturers use both. Read the label. Marion Nestle, a professor in nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University and leading food expert, told me she isn’t aware of any convincing evidence that proves artificial sweeteners help people to lose weight. One artificial sweetener, Splenda, has similarities to endocrine disrupting pesticides….

5. Industry and government marketing. Most people are aware of aggressive junk food marketing, especially to children, and everyone from Disneyland to First Lady Michelle Obama has spoken out about it. In a study in the journal Pediatrics, children who tasted identical graham crackers and gummy fruit snacks, some with and some without cartoon characters, “significantly preferred the taste of foods that had popular cartoon characters on the packaging.” Who says advertising doesn’t work?

Researchers who studied 500,000 California middle- and high-school students found those who attended schools located near fast-food outlets—surprise!—weighed more. Still, it is not just the food industry that is responsible for our growing national girth.

The USDA, even though it cautions food consumers about high-fat, obesity-linked foods, plays the other side of the street as well and is linked to a group that seeks to get people to double their cheese intake to help milk sales. Dairy Management, a USDA “marketing creation” with 162 employees, according to the New York Times, has helped Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy’s and Domino’s cheesify their menu options!

“If every pizza included one more ounce of cheese, we would sell an additional 250 million pounds of cheese annually,” rhapsodized the Dairy Management chief executive in a trade publication. Though Dairy Management is mostly funded by farmers, it received $5.3 million from the USDA during one year, for an overseas dairy campaign, which almost equals the total $6.5 million budget of USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion—the group that cautions us about fatty foods like cheese. Yes, the government is talking out of both sides of its mouth when it tells the public what to put in its mouth.

Martha Rosenberg frequently writes about the impact of the pharmaceutical, food and gun industries on public health. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune and other outlets

The secret to permanent fatloss

by Kyn

The secret is consistency. People fail because they can't get past short term struggle. Once this is past and done it gets easier. There is always a trial period where people hover at and then decide it is too much and then they give up.

The saddest thing is they can often be very close to succeeding. Just a tiny amount more effort is required because they have got past the hardest part. Very often it is something else in their lives that pushes them across them backwards and then it is a slow decline back to the start.

Visually you might see your struggle as pushing a very heavy weight up a hill, but the hills in life are often hidden by clouds so you don't know how much further it is to get to the top - and the path becomes less defined and there are fewer foot holds.

The summit should be near but it has just got a little more difficult reach.

So do you continue or do you walk back down?

Most people walk back down. That is a fact of life.

But there are a few people that keep going and they get to the summit. But usually they only do it once because the travelling was hard.

The really successful ones map their journey and what they encountered. This helps them get back to the summit much more easily.

The same is true for most goals. Fat loss, if you are obese, is a worthy goal. So when you go on a diet write down what steps you took that worked and left you feeling fine. Also write down what didn't work so you can note it down as a false trail,

And never allow yourself to move back down again - unless it risks you life.

Here's What You Need To Know About The Ground-Up Insects Starbucks Puts In Your Frappuccino

• KIM BHASIN AND NOELIA DE LA CRUZ
• 
  

Starbucks is coming under fire from vegans for using ground-up bugs to color its Frappuccinos, but the use of cochineal insects is actually quite common in the food industry.

In fact, cochineal dye has been around for centuries, although that probably doesn't decrease the gross-out factor a whole lot.

So, how do they turn these insects into the food coloring you see every day? It's quite a process.

The cochineal insect is native to Mexico and South America, and contrary to the popular nomenclature, they're not technically beetles. They're tiny and live on cactus plants — usually the prickly pear cactus
So how do you harvest them? There are two methods — traditional and controlled. In both, the insects must be protected from predators and the elements. Each cycle lasts about three months
The controlled way uses these little baskets, called Zapotec nests, which contain female insects. They leave the nest, do their work on the cactus and breed before the cycle is over
In the traditional way, farmers plant infected cactus plants and harvest the insects by hand
Once all of the insects are collected, farmers pour them onto a wooden plank
For five to six minutes, the farmer will shake the beetles in a process that eventually kills the insects while retaining their dark colors. There are other ways to kill the bugs, like using a vat of hot water or an oven
Once they're dead, they're left outside in the sun for two to three days to dry. It's not recommended to leave them out overnight as the humidity will delay the drying process. Then, they shake them in a strainer to remove excess residue
Whichever process you use, it takes a whopping 70,000 cochineal bugs to make just one pound of cochineal dye. Peru alone produces 200 tons of the dye each year
Here, museum educator Bob Alderlink shows how easily the dried bugs can be turned into red dye. First, he crushes them
Then he puts the powder on a dish and dabs some water on it. A quick stir and ...
Voila. Cochineal dye comes in two basic forms — cochineal extract (the bodies of the pulverized bugs) and carmine, which is further processed to create a more purified coloring
If you're freaked out by it, be sure to check the ingredients label of anything that's dyed red

Words to look out for are carminic acid, carmine or cochineal extract, explains Alderink in a video for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Red #40 is often mistaken as a euphemism for cochineal, but it's actually bug-free and derived from coal, according to the mythbusters at Snopes.

Here are some examples of food and beverage products that may have crushed insect coloring

According to a distributor cited by Angel Flinn at Gentle World:

• Frozen meat and fish
• Soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, powdered drinks and alcoholic beverages
• Yogurts, ice cream and dairy-based drinks
• Candy, syrups, fillings and chewing gum
• Canned fruits like cherries and jams
• Dehydrated soups and canned soups
• Ketchup

Is There Such a Thing as Healthy Soda?

Is There Such a Thing as Healthy Soda?

When you think of soda, you probably also think that the phrase "healthy soda" is something of an oxymoron. After all, sodas are typically thought of as carbonated drinks that tend to give rise to health dilemmas like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cavities and nutrient levels that are insufficient. If people want to drink something healthy, they more commonly reach for water--whether from the tap, filtered or bottled--or some nice fruit juice. However, in the last few years, two of the biggest soda drink companies on the planet--Coca Cola as well as Pepsi--have already launched types of soft drinks that they have been marketing as healthy. These types of soft drinks contain more minerals and vitamins than they would otherwise.

Efforts by Both Coca Cola and Pepsi

The soda drink makers, Coca Cola and Pepsi, have been the victim of many years worth of allegations and suspicions that their soft drinks contribute to health problems, especially for children. Certain studies have even established a connection between drinking the soda of Coca Cola and Pepsi and obesity in kids. To combat this hurtful perception of their brands, both companies have in the last couple of years emerged with specialized products.

Coca Cola has emerged with Diet Coke Plus in 2007, and Pepsi has emerged with Diet Pepsi Max and Tava. While Tava stopped production in 2009 due to unpopularity, Diet Coke Plus and Diet Pepsi Max are still on the market. The former is fortified with minerals and vitamins and topped off with the calorie-free sweetener called acesulfame potassium, while the latter is calorie-free, carbohydrate-free, sugar-free and infused with ginseng.

Critical Reaction

Advocates of health foods are almost instantaneous in their derision of such attempts by big soda drink makers to market supposedly healthy sodas. Their opinion is that the whole business of passing off soda drinks as healthy--no matter how many added vitamins and minerals they have--is still not going to be anywhere near as healthy as getting real nutrition and nutrients from natural foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Professionals such as dietitians are also skeptical, and they, too, are quick to dismiss these plans of both Coca Cola and Pepsi as being nothing more than marketing. No matter how much of these so-called "healthy" sodas you drink, you still will not be getting anywhere near what you require to meet your nutritional demands.

Natural Sodas

A type of soda that is considered more legitimate than the so-called "healthy" sodas from the big manufacturers is the concept of natural sodas. Brands like Blue Sky, Santa Cruz Organics and Izze have always included organic sugar and real fruit juices in their soda varieties. These types of more accurately called "healthy" sodas are growing more popular in recent years, and their popularity has been such that they have even pressured the big soda drink makers to move closer to their direction in terms of what they put in their drinks.