Шинэ судалгаагаар амьтны гаралтай уураг ургамлын уурагтай харьцуулахад их хэрэглэх нь дунд насны эрэгтэйчүүдийн тестостероны түвшин багатай хамааралтай байжээ.
Мах голлон хэрэглэвэл тестостерон буурсан түвшнийг нэмэгдүүлнэ гэх баттай нотолгоо одоогоор байхгүй. Зүүн Финландын их сургуулийн судлаачид 42–60 насны 2,546 эрэгтэйн мэдээллийг шинжлэхэд амьтны болон ургамлын уургийн харьцаа өндөр байх нь нийт тестостероны түвшин багатай холбоотой байв.
Оролцогчид дөрвөн өдрийн хооллолтоо бүртгэж мэдээлсэн бөгөөд амьтны уургийг ургамлын уурагтай харьцуулахад хамгийн их хэрэглэсэн хүмүүсийн цусан дахь чөлөөт тестостерон хамгийн бага байжээ. Харин үр тарианы бус эх үүсвэртэй ургамлын уураг буюу ногоо, буурцагт ургамал, самар түлхүү хэрэглэсэн хүмүүсийн чөлөөт тестостерон өндөр байсан ч ялгаа нь бага бөгөөд судалгаа үүний эрүүл мэндэд үзүүлэх нөлөөг тогтоогоогүй. “Чөлөөт” тестостерон гэдэг нь цусанд уурагтай холбогдоогүй дааврыг хэлнэ.
Судалгааны статистик загварт амьтны уургийг ургамлын уургаар орлуулах нь нийт болон чөлөөт тестостероны түвшний аль алинтай нь мэдэгдэхүйц хамааралгүй байв. Иймээс уургийн эх үүсвэрийг солиход тестостерон заавал нэмэгдэнэ, эсвэл буурна гэж дүгнэх боломжгүй; судалгаанд оролцогчдын дийлэнх нь европ гаралтай байсан тул үр дүн бусад хүн амд хамаарах эсэх нь тодорхойгүй. Уургийн төрлүүд үрэвслийн үзүүлэлт, бодисын солилцоо зэрэгт өөрөөр нөлөөлж болох тухай таамаг байгаа ч шалтгаан нь тогтоогдоогүй бөгөөд тестостероны хэмжээ их байх нь заавал сайн гэсэн үг биш. Судалгааг International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition сэтгүүлд нийтэлжээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
There’s a long-standing cultural trope that ‘real men eat meat’.
But a new study on animal protein has served up a contradiction for traditional views of masculinity and the carnivore diet.
In recent years, some social media influencers have claimed that eating meat and almost nothing else is a possible remedy for falling testosterone levels in later life.
Yet there is no robust evidence to support this.
In fact, a new study suggests eating more animal protein may actually lower testosterone levels in middle-aged men.
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland have found that among 2,546 men aged 42 to 60, a higher animal-to-plant protein ratio is associated with lower total testosterone levels.
This was a predominantly Caucasian cohort, so the findings may not generalize to other populations.
But the results are supported by other recent studies that also suggest high-protein diets are not necessarily tied to testosterone in the way some assumed.
Testosterone is a key male sex hormone that plays a role in building and maintaining muscle.
Eating animal protein, meanwhile, is also associated with muscular strength and athleticism.
But in this study, it was plant proteins from non-grain sources, not animal proteins, that were associated with increased free testosterone among middle-aged men.
The term ‘free’ means that circulating testosterone was not bound to a protein in the bloodstream and was essentially ‘up for grabs’. This measurement can help reveal more nuances about how testosterone in the body is faring.
In the current study, participants carefully reported their dietary intake over four days.
Those who reported eating the most animal protein relative to plant protein had the lowest levels of free testosterone in their bloodstream.
On the flip side, men who reported eating the most plant protein from non-grain sources (such as vegetables, legumes, or nuts) had higher free testosterone levels.
“Although the observed differences in testosterone concentrations were statistically significant, they were relatively small,” admits nutrition researcher Miika Wynne-Ellis from the University of Eastern Finland.
“The study cannot establish whether these differences have implications for health.”
In statistical models using their observational data, Wynne-Ellis and colleagues tested what would happen if a middle-aged man replaced animal protein with plant protein.
The choice was not significantly associated with either total testosterone levels or free testosterone levels.
This suggests that simply swapping animal protein for plant protein may not necessarily raise or lower testosterone levels.
The findings challenge a commonly held assumption that eating more animal protein leads to higher levels of this hormone.
On social media, for instance, ‘carnivore’ diets are often sold as a way to improve male testosterone levels, even though the clinical evidence is scarce.
Physician Paul Saladino was once known as the ‘Carnivore MD’, but he reportedly had to quit eating so much meat because his testosterone dropped and caused sleep disturbances, heart palpitations, and muscle cramps.
At this point, scientists cannot definitively say whether animal protein decreases testosterone levels, or why.
It’s possible that animal protein could trigger inflammatory markers in the body, which can suppress testosterone secretion.
Or it could be that animal and plant proteins trigger different metabolic outcomes, such as alternate insulin responses.
“Plant protein sources typically contribute more fiber, carbohydrates, and unsaturated fatty acids, whereas animal protein sources may contribute more saturated fat and cholesterol,” the authors of this new study explain.
For now, however, scientists can only speculate.
Even if switching from animal to plant protein affected testosterone levels, more of this hormone isn’t necessarily better.
Testosterone in the body needs to be carefully balanced. Research is still discovering how our diet can impact this equilibrium.
For now, it’s worth remembering that eating animal protein isn’t necessarily a recipe for better testosterone levels or better health, no matter what you might see on social media.
The research has been published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.
This article was fact-checked by Rachel Garner and edited by Rebecca Dyer. While we pride ourselves on our process, we are only human. If you spot a mistake, please let us know.
