Juan Lainez | Ep #26 | Naturally Increasing Testosterone Levels with Diet & Lifestyle Choices

we’re very excited to have him on the podcast. Welcome to our show one. Thank you for having me today. It’s a pleasure. Welcome one. So this month is November and so Movember movement where it’s aimed to raise awareness on men’s health. This month, we are going to be focusing on that and speaking to you today. We’d like to speak about testosterone because when we think about, you know, Men’s Health, it’s something that kind of comes in naturally. And so the idea is that when we think about testosterone is we think about building muscles, potentially sex drive that libido and but as we did our research, it looks like it’s potentially linked to mental health as well. Yeah, so it’d be interesting to see your your point of view on that. Yeah, we read an article that was published in the National Library of Medicine, which highlighted that the literature does not support a consistent relationship between testosterone levels and depressive symptoms, but many studies suggest that low testosterone levels are associated with depressive symptoms. So maybe to backtrack, before we even kind of unpack that you know, what is testosterone and what is it govern really think so is producing our testicles for females and ovaries and then we go a bit in the range Parramatta started on which you have for men’s is the brackets is like between the 300 to 1100 nanograms per deciliter, so and the 300 usually is linked to low sodium level or low tea usually sometime to make easier to pronounce this low tea, no tea, no testosterone levels. Yeah, right. This is for men. So you’re saying 300? What about for women? Yeah, so it’s also for women, social produce testosterone, but it’s very, very, very small amounts. Because if I said to you, it was between formats, the range is between 301,100 Women’s can reach 100. So the normal collection is not even 100. Basically, that male hormones, right, so you can see the difference, I guess, is an indicator of how much more men need to produce right? On a regular basis. So my question is, basically, what is testosterone govern? So, so yes, basically, associated with said Dr. I play a key role in sparing production. libido, obviously, lots of drama is equal to low libido. Muscle Building, as Danny mentioned before, as I said before, no, no enough testosterone was very difficult to get the muscle or the other factors that affect it like that the contribute to having low testosterone. Yeah, so fortunately, what I noticed whenever I see people put on weight easily that testosterone is linked to gain weight. Previously difficult to concentration, difficult focus. So this is one of the mental health aspects of it with lots of stuff there on Yeah. So so we were talking about like, Wait, is that a right way? Like, as we say, healthy weight, okay, what does that mean? Okay, so, healthy weight is that it depends on you hate your age and everything. So obviously, if you are overweight or obese or overweight, for your body, it’s very difficult to produce the system you are overweight, but also if you are underweight is the same thing. Your body is struggle to produce enough testosterone. So to keep a healthy weight, we have a body mass index. So it could be it’s not really the perfect but I can give an idea was to be our weight. Because for example, I give you for me, I am 183 centimetre taller. And then I in 1995 96 kilos depends but for me if I follow a body mass index i obese because his body mass index doesn’t make the difference between fat and muscle. Yeah, generally speaking, it’s a good it’s a good cater, yeah. indicator for for that. Yeah. Okay. And so, is that because, again, the BMI has always been somewhat of a controversial indicator because it doesn’t take kind of so as you said, muscles versus like fat and then you would have also genetical predisposition, then okay, I need to have the right weight. But what does it mean? Because I’m maybe a bit heavier because, you know, for XYZ reason, how can one find resources to help identify them? Well, I think everyone understand it. Anyway. their own body. So as I say, always you need to listen your body. If you let’s say, simple, simple task, like a walk in the steps, you naturally do, do you feel tired, and then suddenly you feel tired? Maybe you put on weight. So your body’s telling you something is difficult to I don’t like to say this is the perfect weight, because everyone is different. Everyone managed to seem a different way. So I think that difficult and very generic to say, one, one, number one, one amount of kilos. I don’t think it’s right. Will depends on the person, I guess. So, like, as you’re saying this and talking about the BMI as well, I think one factor I wanted to highlight is that a huge part of the BMI that isn’t considered is what what quality of food you’re eating, and the nutritional value you’re putting into your body. And so as you say, like one by BMI standards, you will be considered obese, but I’m certain that you are nutritionally like putting in putting food that is really high quality and good for your body and serving your body. Right. So I guess in that sort of line of thought for people who have low testosterone right, what type of foods should they be eating and like you know, what kind of nutrition they should they should they be? Picking when they are trying to have a balanced diet? A good diet, you know? Okay, yeah, I will say fat. Always fat has been a big deal. Everyone ran away from fat. We need to display and so we fat our body fat to produce testosterone, but then our body need good fats with monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fat. So I’m talking about salmon, not olive oil, all these kinds of fats he helps the body to produce the software in a natural way. So if we go into the diet possibly I don’t know you have had but sink is one of the supplements mainly supplements because we need a sink for the body. And then we always look for foods rich in the source along with usually oysters they’re interesting. Yeah, there are many reaching sink port lamb as well. Is chocolate which think away are you gonna go that I’m gonna go that so that chocolate is is good too is a saturated fats we have from time to time you know all the time but we have from time to time is good, but it has to be over 80% right now. Okay. Less than that is a pure sugar is no sweeter it’s not it’s no good so yes, I would also like a saturated fat but we have constantly said to the fat is no go for it’s no good for the body ADA so obviously beef is also set to the fat but you have once in a while it wouldn’t do any harm. Right? I’m hearing a lot of like meat and I guess really for all the people who are vegan or vegetarian out there. Are there any options for them? Oh yeah, that’s actually all the nuts whole grains all the nuts that source as well. We can ignore that so it’s a good song to hear of course. Yeah. Yeah. And then in terms of I would say caffeine is a big key is is I know a big no for for the body smoking obviously as well is a big no for for the body to produce testosterone so I compromised your immunity obviously. So yeah. So these are like lifestyle factors that should be I guess, monitored or managed? You know, I guess in everything in small amounts, I guess. To that to the to the best of abilities, right? Yes. Okay. So usually zinc, zinc fat are like dietary components that we need to add. Is there anything else that we should keep in mind as we adjust? One like if there’s one one person was trying to like kind of increase their testosterone? Is there anything else that you think they need to keep in mind as they adjust that? Yeah, I would say something about the delegates very curious half last year a guy how you seen this many bottles, plastic bottles advertised as a free BPA free BPA is kind of plastic. And then apparently, when we drink water from plastic, plastic bottles, is the DPF is really high. So and this chemical this in product affects to match you with a certain level. So all this chemicals is handmade produced, apparently affected. So this is coming back to this guy. He did a test and went to a fertility clinic and then the test became the EPI. He was really really hard hoping so and then after he tried to eliminate all the bottles, you know, it’s sometimes just to do a small change, you can water just take a glass of water, glass, so it’s easier. So they eliminated all this kind of thing. And then finally after, I think after one year, they managed to do consider Yeah, yeah, I guess it’s also like the the type of food that you’re eating from the packaging itself, right? It’s that’s basically what you’re saying is, the packaging has components that can kind of provide risks for you to be not only healthy, but get your your body produce what it’s supposed to do. So that’s a good one. Yeah, I have, I wrote an article for my blog about how much plastic we eat every year. It’s unbelievable. Because Are you saying the containers, and then you go to microwave? I don’t use micro microwave, but our lifestyle is most of the people use microwaves. So you go you warm it up there is a plastic this plastic going through your food? Is we need to Yeah, that’s how it is so and then we, we don’t really realise because we see around us, and then we think it’s normal, but it’s not normal. Yeah, think about that actually, like to that extent, like even the packages of how like, food is pre packed, right? Like vegetables or whatever, when they are in the plastic? Well, that’s a really good point that you’re bringing, like takeaway, we are all eating takeaways. And it comes with like different plastics. And I think in Asia, when I’m thinking when I was, you know, back in Malaysia, they put you in like plastic bags, etc, which is very warm. So, you know, it does take a bit of the content of the material into the food. So it’s a very does require, like, some some adjustment in your lifestyle, because it means that so you have to reduce the takeaways. And that’s, that’s a tough one. Because we really are in a very fast society, we’re fast paced, you need to you know, be ready and have food on the go, etc. And so, I mean, it’s all against kind of the principles of trying to be healthy, right? The thing is, you know, that’s a small thing you get less if you consume without knowing some plastic in your diet is one thing, but then there is another thing, so you bought is intoxicating. It’s slowly, slowly. So all these we move to women, or men who use makeup, for example, even they may cap you contain plastic, so all this kind of thing and disrupt your hormones massively. So it’s no we think is normal. But then the reason so many women that can or men that don’t have kids, because for many years, many years been using all these chemicals, you our body can understand. It’s not a natural, nobody can understand. Right? So we’ve talked about like diet, lifestyle factors, and I guess touched on environmental factors that would kind of affect testosterone levels. Right. Are there any other factors that contribute to to affecting that? Yeah, we cover diet is one of the main ones, heavy weights, we we speak a bit as well about the Healthy weights, I would say have an active life exercise as well. That’s what I noticed. With my young clients. It’s like, they didn’t lock down they didn’t manage to to exercise. So now to get into routine, it’s difficult for them, they feel a bit down low mood. So I think exercise, but not necessarily a string exercise, obviously, by like a 4040 minute, half an hour, three, four times a week is enough. Obviously there’s more options. Yeah. Are we talking about? bodyweight training? Are we talking cardio? Are we talking so we said so let’s talk maybe like type of trainings and then the duration? Yeah, it’s good. It’s difficult to say. Some research they say like, moderate to intense training is good enough. Sun cardio is good is good enough. Always I’ve been told. And also I kind of experienced as well, when I relax. I feel much better. So Lex is is one of the main exercise we should keep at the gene. Because when we when we relax, our testosterone level pilots increase. That’s what the literature say. All the studies say that. But generally speaking, I think we are designed to move we have to move if we don’t if we don’t move, we don’t lose the toaster on so even 10 minutes is going to be better than no don’t do anything. Right. So but obviously yeah, I’ve been through you know, I try to understand it through. We have been talking with some professional trainers and they say oh, who shots is better? Squash is better by always, always having they have been told me Don’t skip legs do legs all the time. Right? That’s a good, that’s a good kind of message for for men, especially because the thing is that usually men you would see they were at the gym with their weights etc. And benching, they wonder that all these like Facebook memes it’s like do you even like bench? How much do you bench? You know, bro it’s funny, you know, when I go to the gym, like, people just walk the upper part. You know, it’s like a you look, the whole body is like a chicken a chicken legs. Yeah, so be upstairs and then bellafill legs. I mean, it’s difficult to beat that the calf is very difficult to build it. But you need to worry, you need to worry about your legs as well. All the PT I hate is when I started eating a long time ago. I hated legs. It was that I could understand. But now I enjoy it. I enjoy it. Yeah, I usually do like four times per week, two days. Two days likes Yeah. Okay, and how long would you say one would have to? Usually my throat my workout was like 45 minutes. 50 minutes. Okay, to ask, would you get two supplements? Because we we did. We did touch upon like how you can find it in your food. But there is also a conception of like potentially have it on supplements to increase the testosterone production? It is something that is doable possible. Amen. Yeah, totally. I always I prefer to go with the foot fence. First when I recommend something, but I’ve been recommending supplements and then I try myself as well. You can see the difference is works. It works. So obviously, Vitamin D is one of the main components because it’s a kind of hormones. So it helps to produce to produce a distortion on you and your body between the I don’t know, in the UK, we we don’t have much sound here. So it’s we kind of really need Tell me about it. So we need it. So and then to be honest, I’m from Spain, so and then we have more sound. When I moved to London in 2010. After one year and a half, I started he has so much pain my bones in my joints. And I went to the GP and then I said I don’t know what’s going on. Suddenly I have this pain. And then my vitamin D level was very low, but not very, very, very low. And then obviously I wasn’t feeling great. I was tired constantly low mood, no in the mood for anything at all. And there was vitamin D so what else we have a supplement? Ginger. Social. Yeah, it’s almost like a kind of inflammation and inflammatory bowel gene dance also helps for for that. There is a supplement is I think, Indian. Sorry, excuse me to interrupt why gender, so anti inflammatory components and how is that linked to testosterone? Oh, yeah, actually, I don’t really find I always recommend Jinja for inflammation as anti inflammatory. But always when I look for a formula, like a caboose, you do use just testosterone level xinja Is there. So now I do my research and they say ginger help you to keep the level of testosterone. So I don’t know what is really behind that but apart is one of the headers routes, which helps with the, with the testosterone level to give a less healthy testosterone level. Yeah. Okay. Another one is called triple terrorists. Three, three books. Have you heard about that one? Nope. Okay, this one is probably one of the strongest I have to tell you. I try. used to work for Holland and Barrett is a supplements company. It was a red bottle. Oh my god, I try. After two three days, I have to stop. Because I was in a very bad mood. I couldn’t sleep. I was constantly waking up in the night. So it didn’t work for me. But I have feedback from for at that time with customer. He was really good. He said my self drive increase my action last longer. And my sperm production is more I can feel it. So I know that supplement. It was I still remember I kinda read bottles but after two or three days I have to stop taking because it was a bit you know, kind of interrupt in your hormone so maybe for me it wasn’t good enough. I was like 10 years younger, so maybe I didn’t I didn’t need it. So exactly. Yeah, it’s interesting point you said is that potentially you took it when you were that red bottle. You may potentially be too young. Is there like a link between you know your age and the production of testosterone? Oh, yes. Yeah, obviously, we reach our peak around 20s. So we are full testosterone is and therefore belt is started. decrease the green the decrease. So apparently all the studies they say every year is like a 1%. It started decreasing. So, yeah. Yeah, so that’s, so that’s why you would have you know, people coming your door to your door because they noticed changes in you know that potentially their sex drive their mood and their mental health etc. Okay. Interesting and to kind of conclude our, our our conversation with regards to testosterone and mental health and what they come to you with that like in the sense that they see that, you know, they’re feeling down etc. Like what are some of the tips you would give them to overcome it? So, of course we bring the food, we bring the supplements, what are some other things you you could ask them with regards to help them in that process? Okay. Yeah, I would focus as the sleep is very important. All the studies say like, seven hours is perfect. But some studies says is not about the qualities or the quantity. So it depends. Everyone’s unique, whatever works for you, you need to stick in that plan. Right? So yeah, sleep, I would say manage the sleep. And then the stress. I think talking about mental health distress these days is one of the key one of the one of the key factors. Yeah. Because when, when we’re under stress, I don’t know what possibly you have had about cortisol, when we’re under stress we breathe or dissolve is a hormone and our testosterone goes down. So if we managed to give that the cortisol in the right levels, our body will then compromise to boost testosterone. So yeah, stress and just quickly, I will come back to supplements of Shalonda. You know how you heard about Shalonda? Yeah. That’s a it’s a very important one for money to the stress. So it keeps the stress away. So he said, What I said was abs. And also recommended is for women for men all the time. I recommend because it’s very important to manage your stress. So, so yeah, I would say Stress and Sleep is kind of the key. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there’s a great tips. I think it’s kind of the foundational foundation for a lot of good. Basically healthy people. Right. Good sleep and, and good management of stress. And I guess diet as well. And exercise as well. Yeah. And maybe to kind of with the stress part, I think that what’s interesting is that managing our stress is it’s a very individual kind of task, right? Because you’re the one who knows what, what would cause will increase or trigger more stress or not. And I think is that you know, prioritising that this is, you know, too much stress and you need to prioritise your own, your own well being and if it and that’s the difficult part, sometimes for people to, to prioritise that because a stress can come from work from, you know, relationships from so many different things. And so, understanding where that trigger comes from is I think the, the work that we all need to do, right? Yeah, totally. Yeah, stress can be whatever something is stress me, maybe for you is like, a silly thing. Yeah. But whatever, to manage to manage the stress, the best way just to find out, what made you to feel happy, maybe to walk with the dog go to the cinema meeting friends is, is easy to manage. That’s why it’s easy to manage the stress when you know you’re under stress without getting awareness, right. Yeah. Well, that’s awesome. Thank you for that one. And I guess, as we kind of told you before, we will do our rapid fire questions with all our guests. And so I’ll go with the first question. What is what is the worst health advice you’ve ever received? Oh, for a professional or for someone, just for yourself personally received a receipt for my house for only drinking water with the lemon to lose weight. My second question to you our second rapid question is, if there was one habit we should all adopt, what would it be? What habits I will say I mentioned through the or the podcast, we will avoid any cost to eat Ultra processed foods is killing us. We don’t we don’t really realise but it’s killing us our supermarket. They don’t sell foods anymore. They sell products, which makes with the refined sugar refined carbohydrate that is a few poor quality ingredients and then you don’t get anything there. You don’t get it. No, no, no, no, no no better means no means nothing. So my message is always, always there to promote that. Avoid any Ultra processed foods go for Natural Foods, always I say that. Yeah. Great, great tip and reminder. And the last one is, if you had to put a song or a soundtrack to your life, what would it be? Okay, that’s I have a I have a Spanish band is called a morale. They were very big in the 90s. They still is still in the in the scene. But one of the songs I really like is called Cafe. Oh, yes, I’ve heard of it. Yeah, okay. So I like the ladies. I like the meaning. So that’s one of the songs. I love. It’s that song. And then Yes, wait before you go there, though. But what is the meaning of that song? Where it’s like the No, because we Okay, yeah. So basically say, do you think will you have all the time down the message is that so do the things where you have like a unit to all or nothing. So you need to need to brave to be brave to do things. So because you don’t tell the CCO you don’t take action. Also don’t take action. It’s also you have some some action for not taking actions. Right. There are consequences for not taking actions. Yeah. There you go. Yeah. So to be honest, no, it’s not the best song from this group. But it resonates with you. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. Thank you so much for being on a show and sharing your wisdom. It was great to have you Yeah, my pleasure. I hope we can help people to be aware of the inflation is nothing wrong to speak about low the middle. Low surprise is nothing is mentioned is not much what we need to normalise. Definitely. Thank you so much. My pleasure. Transcribed by https://otter.ai