Testosterone Fact of the Day

Men Needing More Frequent Testosterone Testing

Testosterone levels are essential to improve quality of life.  Low levels and imbalances lead to multiple negative symptoms including fatigue, low libido, and irritability. Those who not only currently experience symptoms of Low T should certainly be tested regularly, but also, those who have yet to experience symptoms should add testosterone testing to their regular health checkups.

Dr. Liron Belzer, medical director at Florida Men’s Health Center claims that the most prevalent symptoms is low sex drive. Being below average in bed is something that no man wishes upon themselves or others.  Problems with libido are most directly important to the patient, however, these surface symptoms can lead to more sever problems with depression and heart disease.  This puts a man at a disadvantage and at risk for heart attack.

Dr. Belzer strongly recommends regular testosterone tests as they grow older. Hormones levels will naturally drop as men get older but allowing it to progress will have long lasting consequences.  Journal of Aging Men reported that 20% of men over the age of 50 have clinically deficient testosterone.  This number could greatly decrease with regular, standard testing.  

Sprinter’s Battle with Olympic Doping Committee Over Testosterone

United States Sprinter LaShawn Merritt is barred from the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The United States Olympic committee is currently in the process of appealing that suspension. The appeal will be heard by the IOC which oversees all Olympic operations. 

Merritt is up against the 6 month rule adopted in 2008. The rule states that any athlete who received a doping ban of more than 6 months is not allowed to compete in the following Winter or Summer Olympics. The US Olympic Committee sees this as being a second penalty for a single offense.  

Merritt was the 400 meter champion at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 but was barred from the games after testing positive for testosterone pheromones and completing a 21 month ban from the sport. The IOC will allow third parties to submit their opinions on whether Merritt’s ban should be lifted.  

Being that the Games are in London, British regulations state that any athlete serving a doping ban are barred for life from competing. If the USOC is successful in their effort, it would be fitting that the Brits might reexamine their policy allowing certain British athletes serving life suspensions to compete in their home Olympics. 

(Source: heraldsun.com.au)

Chael Sonnen Mocks the UFC’s Testing Policy

Chael Sonnen has recently been sanctioned and scheduled to fight again in the UFC.  Sonnen previously tested positive for elevated testosterone levels citing Testosterone Replacement Therapy as used for medical purposes.  Sonnen has always had the reputation of being a talkers as his previous verbal victims include Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva and the Nogueiras.  This time, Sonnen is taking aim at the testing policy practiced by the UFC.

Sonnen has been openly critical not only of his fellow fighters but also the organization which employs him.  When asked about his failed test Sonnen boasted that he SHOULD have higher testosterone levels than the average man.  His occupation is a testosterone driven business fueled by the elevated testosterone levels of its employees.

Seven months have past since Sonnen was suspended from the UFC and he is certainly bitter. Sonnen explained the circumstances of the failed test claiming, “Are you talking about the injustice they did to me over the past seven months? My phone rings, they call me up and say, ‘Chael, your testosterone level is too high.’ I say, ‘Well, how high was it?’ They say, ‘0.7.’  I said, ‘What’s normal?’ They say, ‘0.6.’ I said, ‘One-tenth? You’re telling me I’m one-tenth higher than the average man? Re-test that - you must have caught me on a low day.’ I told them to feast their eyes and fantasize, I offer no apology.”

Sonnen’s last fight was in the Bay area against the champion Anderson Silva.  The fight was seemingly dominated by Sonnen until the end when Silva caught Sonnen in an ankle lock forcing him to tap out.  Sonnen is certainly bitter and feels as though the title was stolen from him.

As the testing policies in professional sports, especially MMA, because increasingly vestigial, it is certainly no excuse to abuse therapeutic treatment.  The rules are the same for all athletes and they understand those rules prior to signing contracts.  By no means should testing policies become less rigid, however, in a sport where testosterone fuels success, where is a line drawn?

(Source: espn.co.uk)

Testosterone Affected By Sleep Loss

These results were taken from a small study group focused on young men.  Healthy young men’s sleep was obstructed and was found that testosterone levels were affected.  Sleep was interrupted between the hours of 2 pm and 10 pm among the group of young males.

Testosterone is produced the most during sleep.  Sleep fragmentation hampers the body from creating adequate testosterone.  Being an essential component of sexual reproduction, sleep loss essentially decreased your stamina and libido.  Normal aging decreases testosterone levels about 1% to 2% per year.  However, healthy young men experienced drops of nearly 15% when subject to five hours of sleep for 7 straight days.  This sleeping pattern is shared by 15% of average Americans.

Further investigation will continue to analyze whether sleep deprivation into the evaluation of androgen deficiency.     

Male Athletes as Young as 17-Years Old are Using PEDs

South Africa is seeing similar parallels in terms of problems in professional and amateur sports.  Nearly half the participants playing in Craven Week (an prestigious amateur Rugby tournament for high school aged boys) were tested by the privately owned Institute of Drug Free Sport.  Results showed that 4 participants tested positive for banned steroids. Two others were cited for having high testosterone levels but is yet to be determined whether it was produced naturally or synthetically.

This is cause for concern as in previous years, seeing one failed test would be shocking.  Investigations will be launched to determine whether players will be facing a two year ban from Rugby competition.  They will face an independent tribunal to determine their fate because they are minors.  Drug-Free Sport has made relentless efforts to improve education among the young male athletes and stressed the importance of testing at the school level.  Many believe that the percentage of PED use is higher but athletes stop using weeks before the competition.

In response of a 100% increase in PED offenses in South Africa, Drug-Free Sport has recently launched their “I Play Fair — Say No!” Young athletes are the chief target of the campaign that stresses spreading the message of ethics and fair play conjoined with the prevention of drug use.  

 “Doping is a short-cut that will not only see athletes getting caught but is also dangerous to the athlete’s health,” he explains. ”Just because you can easily buy a sports supplement at any grocery store or pharmacy does not mean that the supplement does not contain any banned steroids. Parents have to be more circumspect about the ingredients of these supplements and especially when words such as “testosterone booster” or “growth-hormone accelerator” are used on the packaging of products.”  -Khalid Galant, CEO of Drug-Free Sport.

(Source: timeslive.co.za)

Being in Great Shape for Sex

If for no other reason, sex should be a driving reason for men to hit the gym.  Often we find that telling people to assume an active lifestyle doesn’t resonate.  Aside from being physically healthy, sex provides a benchmark for some to measure their physique and fitness level.  

Smoking, alcohol consumption, laziness, and weigh gain are the factors hampering sexual performance and typically result in erectile dysfunction.  Physicians suggest that their patients become more active before they resort to medical help.  UT Austin test results that women who exercise vigorously for 20 minutes increase vaginal response by 169%.  Leanness and physical activity are the two factors required for for good erectile function.

Weight management can provide for efficient mechanics with having sex.  Its sounds like a joke, but the logistics of it are spot on that those who carry less weight are more likely to have better sex.  The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that people engage in at least 150 minutes of cardio each week whether it be jogging, swimming, or a brisk walk.  Strengthening exercise should happen twice a week focusing on troublesome areas.  Finally, flexibility can play an important role in sex.  Tightness in back, hips, and shoulders can hamper the process. More stretching and flex related activities such as Pilates and Yoga can help both men and women.

Stress is the heaviest road block in your sexual life.  Working out is an invaluable resource after a long stressful work day.  It’s good to do stress relieving activities with your partner which will decrease stress levels and put both of you in the mood.  A light workout together can certainly increase desire for each other and decrease sexual detriments. Self image is the most important aspect to great sex.  If you feel it, you can do it. Becoming more secure with yourself is a process of working hard to create results and creating psychological results for yourself.

BJ Penn Becoming the Whistle Blower for TRT Use in MMA

BJ Penn is being heard throughout the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for reasons beyond his legendary career.  Nate Marquardt was the most recent athlete in MMA to test positive for high testosterone levels.  This was certainly the straw that broke Penn’s back on the subject of Testosterone Replacement abuse.

After Marquardt’s failed test, the problem of TRT abuse has come to the forefront and Penn has become its most vocal opponent.  The issue isn’t the individual failed test of Marquardt but the abundant abuse of the procedure to train for upcoming fights.  It’s difficult to fathom that the entire sport is full of TRT abuse.  The UFC allows medical waivers for those who have been medically cleared to undergo treatment but there is also a fine line that divides necessity and abuse.

“It’s a catch-22 for me,” Penn expressed. “I believe so strongly in fair play and all these things, and on the other side, it’s people you know and people you look up to, legends of the sport. They’ve been involved with stuff like that.”

We now see that the sport is saturated with TRT and nothing is being done to limit its abuse.  A recent tweet from MMA reporter Jon Anik claimed that it would probably take a high profile death of an MMA athlete who is on TRT to finally bring about change.  Penn is a fighter who has never experimented with the treatment and how loudly opposed those who have.   Major League Baseball has taken the route of reprimanding its players for PEDs and it seems that the problem hasn’t stopped.  Perhaps building a different model would help the cause.

(Source: espn.co.uk)