Ginger and Testosterone

People with low testosterone may need to raise their levels by eating certain foods, such as ginger. Testosterone is a male sex hormone (male hormone) that plays a role in fertility, sexual function, bone health, and muscle mass. In this article, we list the effects of ginger to increase testosterone levels.

A person's testosterone level will naturally decrease with age, by 1 to 2 percent with each year - but certain medical conditions, lifestyle choices and other factors can affect sex hormone levels this in the body.
Some medical treatments can increase low testosterone levels, especially in young men, but a person can also encourage the body to produce more by making some changes to diet and lifestyle.
Ginger is a flowering medicinal plant whose roots or rhizomes are used as spices. In addition, it is widely used in folk medicine because of its many health benefits in various diseases, including chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diseases cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease and depression. The beneficial effects of ginger in diseases are mainly due to its antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The characteristic aroma and flavor of fresh ginger root is the result of several bioactive volatile oils (e.g., gingerols, shogaols and zingerone) which account for about 1-3% of its weight. 6-gingerol is considered the main pungent and bioactive compound in fresh ginger. In addition, ginger contains several antioxidant compounds such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, quercetin, genistein, and tannin. Furthermore, ginger contains essential elements such as manganese, copper, selenium and zinc. In addition, ginger was found to contain low amounts of toxic elements such as cadmium, lead and nickel.

Increasing testosterone production in men and other male breeds remains the ultimate goal of many scientists in the field. This is due to the important function of testosterone as the main sex hormone in men. Testosterone plays an important role in the development of male reproductive organs and promotes other sexual characteristics such as body hair growth and increased bone and muscle mass.
In addition, testosterone is associated with general health and well-being. Insufficient levels of testosterone in men have been linked to a wide range of disorders/diseases such as infertility, diabetes, osteoporosis and bone loss
To date, most studies find an association Direct relationship between ginger and testosterone are both laboratory studies. Almost all of these studies were performed in a mouse model of diabetes. According to the study, a group of diabetic and hypertensive rats supplemented with ginger and its extracts had higher serum testosterone levels than the control group. While ginger-derived compounds (zingerone, geraniol and 6-gingerol), when administered individually, did not affect serum testosterone levels in diabetic rats.
Another series of studies that reported a direct link between ginger and testosterone were the reproductive toxicity studies. Collectively, reproductive toxicity studies were conducted to investigate the effect of ginger on improving testosterone levels mainly in male rats exposed to the toxin. These toxic substances are, most of the time, chemical compounds (eg, aluminum chloride, sodium metabisulfite), metals (eg, lead), or drugs. Examples of drugs used in this setting, which cause reproductive toxicity, are lamotrigine (an antiepileptic drug), cyclophosphamide (an anticancer drug), busulfan (an anticancer drug), and carbendazim (an anticancer drug). mushroom).
As a general trend, toxicologists have reduced testosterone levels in laboratory animals, and ginger supplementation counteracts this decrease. The dosage of ginger used in reproductive toxicity studies varied from ~40 to ~600 mg per day, and the duration of supplementation ranged from ~2 to ~8 weeks.

In men, more than 95% of testosterone is produced by the testes, while the rest is produced by other organs, mainly the adrenal glands. The testicles contain two main types of cells, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells. Testosterone synthesis occurs in Leydig cells, while Sertoli cells use the produced testosterone for spermatogenesis. Chemically, like other androgens, testosterone is derived from cholesterol. Systematic research conducted by Kamtchouing in 2002 showed that ginger supplementation at 600 mg kg for 8 days increased cholesterol levels in the testes, which may be a major factor behind the increased testosterone production after when using ginger.
Ginger is rich in powerful antioxidant compounds such as gingerols, zingerone, zingiberene, glucosides-6-gingerol, flavonoids and volatile oils. These antioxidants protect both reproductive organs from oxidative stress, an imbalance between peroxides (reactive oxygen species such as superoxide ions, hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide) and beneficial antioxidants. for the former, and lipid peroxidation. Ginger root was found to enhance the activity of certain antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in various male reproductive organs such as testes, glands, etc. prostate and epididymis. In addition, ginger was found to reduce markers of cell damage such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in testes. Accordingly, reducing oxidative stress and enhancing the antioxidant defense mechanism against peroxides in testicular cells may enhance testosterone biosynthesis.


The above evidence explains why most of the studies demonstrating the effects of ginger on testosterone have been conducted in a mouse model of diabetes. Various studies have shown that the generation of free radicals leads to higher levels of cellular oxidative stress which, under diabetic conditions, can negatively affect cellular function and biosynthesis. cell compound.
Furthermore, in hypertensive rats, levels of reactive oxygen species and thiobarbituric acid reactants (TBARS), a byproduct of lipid peroxidation, were increased in the testis and epididymis. . Excessive formation of TBARS can cause overuse of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione (GSH), a potent synthetic antioxidant. Reduced GSH levels reduce the detoxification of peroxides in the testicles, negatively affecting testosterone production. It has been shown that dietary supplementation of ginger root prevented the reduction of glutathione S-transferase and GSH levels, thereby leading to a reduction in peroxides, which could subsequently enhance testosterone synthesis.
As research has shown, reduced blood flow to the testicles reduces testosterone production, which can lead to decreased spermatogenesis. Adding ginger to your diet can boost testosterone production by promoting NO production and increasing blood flow.
Testicular weight is an important anatomical indicator of male fertility. Various studies have measured testicular weight as a marker of fertility after dietary supplementation. Testicular weight is directly proportional to the level of testosterone produced. Male rats supplemented with ginger or ginger extract, for at least one week, had higher testicular weight than the control group; As a result, they have higher testosterone levels, as it is well known that testicle weight is directly proportional to the level of testosterone produced.
Nutritionally, ginger contains a large amount of important nutrients that can boost testosterone production like manganese. A study has shown that ginger root contains high amounts of manganese. It has been shown that manganese supplementation stimulates LH secretion in male rats, which in turn can enhance testosterone production. However, to date, all studies that have found a direct link between ginger or its derivatives and testosterone have been systematic in the laboratory, and none have been conducted on person performed.
So far, research trends linking dietary ginger to testosterone have revealed that ginger or ginger extracts have an impact on testosterone because testosterone production is enhanced with ginger supplementation.
The mechanisms by which ginger enhances testosterone production are mainly by increasing LH production, increasing cholesterol levels in testes, reducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in testes, enhancing the activity of certain antioxidant enzymes , normalizes blood sugar, enhances nitric oxide production and increases blood flow in Leydig cells, increases testicular weight and recycles testosterone receptors.

References: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov