Testosterone is one of the most important male hormones responsible for developing muscle mass and secondary sexual characteristics in males. It enhances fertility, boosts energy levels and improves work productivity during the day. It keeps fatigue & lethargy at bay. Testosterone is very important for athletes & sportspersons. It enhances their ability to perform better at any given event.
The ideal normal range for serum testosterone levels is 300 – 1000 ng/dl. Levels below 200 ng/dl indicate hypogonadism or low testosterone levels. Symptoms of low testosterone levels are easy fatigability, weakness, skinny body or obesity – on the other extreme, less muscle mass, brittle bones (osteoporosis), irritability, and depression.
Nowadays, however, a major portion of the male population around the world suffer from low testosterone levels mainly due to hectic work schedules, erratic eating habits and poor quality sleep & irregular lifestyle habits. All these factors compound to disrupt the normal hormonal secretions & functioning in the body. Hence, leading a regulated lifestyle with healthy eating habits can reverse most of these hormonal issues. However, low testosterone levels can also have clinical or idiopathic causes which may require medical intervention.
The most common medical intervention employed to treat low testosterone levels is called as Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). It mainly involves supplementing exogenous synthetic testosterone formulation in the body to correct the deficiency. Following are some of the testosterone treatments employed to cure low testosterone issues:
Intramuscular Testosterone Jabs
These are injections with synthetic testosterone formulations injected into muscle tissue, from where they are released sustainably into the blood stream. They form a hormone depot below the muscle mass where they are injected.
Testosterone levels are replenished at a much faster & most efficient manner through these intramuscular injections.
HCG Injections
HCG also was known as human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is used similarly to intramuscular testosterone injections. They act as a luteinizing hormone in the body which stimulates the production of testosterone in males.
The risk factors involved are similar as that of the intramuscular testosterone injections, hence both require due medical supervision & consultation before administration of any of these treatments.
Anabolic Steroids
Steroid prescription is also one of the effective measures of curing hypogonadism in young adolescent males. They are oral forms of synthetic testosterone formulations which have beneficial effects in building muscle & bone mass in adolescent boys and improving productivity.
However, caution needs to be exercised in their use since there are several illegal anabolic steroids sold out there in the online market which have adverse health impacts in the long run. Hence, safe legal steroids under medical prescription are advisable.
Weight Management
Often, uneven fat distribution in the body can lead to impaired secretion & functioning of hormones. Obesity characterized by an increase in abdominal fat mass prevents these hormones such as testosterone from binding to their respective cell receptors in the body which enhance their functioning.
Losing weight through adequate diet regulation & exercise regime has also benefited in normalizing testosterone levels.
Vitamin D3 Supplementation
Recent studies prove that supplementing the diet with adequate units of vitamin D3 has shown to increase basal testosterone levels. It can be noted that Vitamin D3 deficiency may also result in testosterone deficiency. However, these studies need sound clinical backing.