Thinking about going keto? Here’s what you need to know about the keto diet and your testosterone.
If your fitness goals involve building muscles and shredding fat, you’ve probably given at least a little bit of thought to your testosterone levels along the way. This sex hormone plays a major role in your metabolism, so low levels can easily become a roadblock on your way to achieving your body composition goals.
You may have also thought about trying the ketogenic diet, the popular low-carb, high-fat diet that’s meant to put your body in a state of ketosis, or “fat burning mode.” But the dramatic shift in macronutrient intake involved also begs some other questions, namely: how else does eating a high level of dietary fat affect my body and my hormones?
If you’re thinking about trying keto but suspect you’re having issues related to low testosterone levels, here’s what you need to know.
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Does the keto diet increase testosterone?
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone in males. It’s responsible for spurring on the development of primary and secondary male sex characteristics. It’s also a key hormone for your sex drive, muscle growth, and fat metabolism. Females produce testosterone as well, albeit in smaller amounts.
And here’s the connection between the keto diet and testosterone: testosterone is a steroidal hormone, which means that it is synthesized from cholesterol, a fatty substance. Your body makes a certain amount of cholesterol on its own, but the levels of cholesterol present in your blood can also be determined by your diet --- and most relevantly, by the amount of dietary fat that you eat.
So the theory is that when you’re doing keto, a diet that is by definition a high-fat diet, you can increase the amount of cholesterol available in your blood, which can then hypothetically increase the amount of testosterone that your body can make.
But does this theory translate to real life?
Scientific studies on the subject suggest yes, a high-fat diet like keto can potentially boost your testosterone levels. A recent 2020 randomized controlled trial found that college-aged men who were put on a ketogenic diet and resistance training program saw a significant increase in their total testosterone levels when compared to the traditional “Western” diet.
On the other hand, another study on 30 healthy middle-aged men found that transitioning the participants to a low-fat diet led to a subsequent drop in serum testosterone levels.
So there’s definitely a fair amount of evidence that points to the effectiveness of trying keto for boosting your testosterone levels, especially when paired with other testosterone-boosting activities like exercising. In addition, losing excess fat tissue, the most common perk of following keto, can significantly improve your testosterone production.
However, this doesn’t exactly mean that going keto is a cure for low testosterone levels. While the current research is promising, more work still needs to be done to further evaluate the relationship between keto and testosterone. In addition, increasing your cholesterol levels isn’t always good news for your heart health since it’s associated with conditions like hypertension and heart disease.
Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and the keto diet
You might also be considering testosterone replacement therapy if you suspect that you have low testosterone levels.
As the name suggests, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a medical treatment that seeks to “replace” your testosterone when levels are low. It is generally recommended for males with abnormally low testosterone levels, though some may use it to combat the natural testosterone production decline that happens as you age. Because TRT is a medical treatment, it should be managed under the supervision of a medical professional.
TRT might help people suffering from symptoms of low testosterone including erectile dysfunction, depression, and fatigue. It could also help your fitness goals by helping you lose fat without losing too much muscle mass.
Ultimately, both following a keto diet and TRT could help you increase your testosterone levels, and doing them concurrently may help with your physical goals. But the long-term effects of TRT aren’t well-known, and it’s best to consult with your doctor to determine whether or not going keto is a good idea while undergoing TRT.
Does the ketogenic diet increase or decrease sex drive?
Hypothetically, an increase in testosterone levels could lead to an increase in your sex drive since the two are closely linked. After all, one of testosterone’s primary functions is to spur on sex drive in both males and females.
However, your sex drive is a bit more complex and multifaceted than that. Your libido usually depends on more than your testosterone levels alone, which means that raising testosterone on its own may not be the end-all-be-all cure for maximizing your satisfaction in the bedroom.
Besides getting your testosterone levels up, here’s how else the keto diet might affect your sex drive:
- Many people who try the keto diet for the first time experience a collection of unpleasant symptoms like brain fog, headaches, nausea, and more as their body adjusts to the strict carb restrictions. This generalized sickness is so common that it even has its own name: the “keto flu.” And the result of these unpleasant symptoms? You may not necessarily be in the mood while your body tries to adjust to its new normal.
- Similarly, calorie restriction and low carbohydrate intake can mess with your energy levels. Going into “starvation mode” and adjusting to a lower intake of calories can leave you feeling fatigued, and sex could end up being one of the last things on your mind when your energy is so low.
- But on the other hand, keto can also lead to an improved body composition over time, which can absolutely impact your sex drive for the better. Not only will losing excess weight improve your energy levels, but it can also leave you feeling a little more confident — which is always a good thing in the bedroom!
What other hormones does the keto diet impact?
It’s also worth thinking about how else such a restrictive diet can impact your health. Even though keto can be positive for your testosterone levels if you’re looking to give them a boost, it also affects other hormones.
Thyroid hormones
Your thyroid is a gland in your neck that produces hormones important for dictating your metabolism and how your cells use energy.
When you follow a diet like keto, which essentially mimics starvation on a cellular level because of the low carbohydrates intake, your thyroid may respond by producing fewer hormones and slowing down your metabolism!
Cortisol
Another unwanted side-effect of that starvation response could be an increase in your “stress hormone” cortisol. Because your body believes it isn’t getting enough energy when it’s not in its preferred form, carbohydrates, it can quickly become distressed and signal a “fight or flight” response that spikes your cortisol levels.
As a result, these elevated cortisol levels could slow down your metabolism and cause weight gain as your metabolism adjusts to what it perceives as an emergency. It may even contribute to adrenal fatigue down the line.
Insulin
On the plus side, going keto could be a great move for improving your insulin levels.
Insulin is a hormone responsible for carbohydrate metabolism. Because you are eating so few carbohydrates on keto, your body doesn’t have to produce nearly as much insulin to shuttle them into your cells for energy. This could eventually help with issues like insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
How to monitor your testosterone levels on the keto diet
Following the ketogenic diet can come with some major perks like weight loss and improved testosterone levels. But remember, doing keto on its own isn’t a cure for low testosterone, and you won’t know how effective your diet is at boosting this sex hormone until you test for it.
There’s also a lot more at play if you want to ensure that you’re giving your body all the tools it needs to be healthy while trying keto. For example, that increase in cholesterol levels that is thought to help improve your testosterone levels isn’t great for your overall heart health. And even though many people use keto as a means to lose fat and build muscle, a subsequent imbalance of hormones like cortisol and thyroid hormones can still turn it into an uphill battle.
So when you decide to follow a diet as restrictive as keto, it’s crucial to keep an eye on your hormone levels. Base’s At-Home Diet Test Kit can give you answers so that you no longer have to guess how your diet is affecting your overall health. With convenient at-home monitoring, you’ll be able to track just how much of a difference that your diet is making with your testosterone levels (and cholesterol, thyroid hormones, and cortisol) over time.
Conclusion
When done correctly, the keto diet is proving to be an invaluable tool for people looking to lose weight and get fit. Now research is proving that it may also help on a cellular level by helping your body create more testosterone to complement your diet and exercise attempts. But the only way to know for sure just how effective the keto diet is at boosting your hormone levels is to take regular hormone tests.
Wondering if the keto diet is right for you?
Take our quiz to build a bespoke testing plan that will help you to lose weight, based on your unique biology.
