Men ahoy! Testosterone after a bucket of ice cream?
What about the precious testosterone after a bucket of ice cream?
Let's go slightly scientific in this post, because declining testosterone levels in men is a big thing in health these days for various reasons. Here's one we can control by ourselves!
So, you got yourself up and hit the gym—good stuff. Now it's time to reward yourself and envision that Greek-god physique in the making.
But wait, let’s take a closer look at what’s happening inside your body when you treat yourself. According to one study (*), which investigated the effects of a 75-gram glucose load (read: your favorite chocolate brownie ice cream bucket, perhaps?) on testosterone levels in 74 men, here’s the scoop:
What happened?
• After the glucose load, testosterone levels dropped by 25% on average across all participants.
• The testosterone decrease persisted for up to two hours post-ingestion.
• Approximately 15% of men experienced testosterone levels dipping below the hypogonadal range (medically defined as “low testosterone”).
Why does this happen?
Sure, sugar tastes amazing, but here’s the catch:
• Sugar intake triggers a spike in blood glucose levels, causing an increase in insulin secretion.
• Elevated insulin interferes with the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is essential for testosterone production.
Additionally, inflammation following sugar intake can further suppress testosterone production.
In other words...
If your testosterone level typically hovers around 500 ng/dL, indulging in sugar—especially at night—could drop it to 375–400 ng/dL for the next 1–2 hours.
Avoiding sugar in the evening might help you maintain optimal testosterone levels during sleep, which is a critical period for testosterone production.
I’ll keep my sweet bucket of frozen delight, but maybe it’s wiser to save it for a well-deserved treat rather than a nightly indulgence. What do you think?
*Sources: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/98/4/1665/2539224
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