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#Post#: 594--------------------------------------------------
Free Testosterone and SHBG
By: guest5 Date: June 3, 2019, 12:15 pm
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Some researchers believe that free testosterone is the only
testosterone that really counts, since it is the testosterone
ready and able to actually "work" on your tissues. And there is
a lot of truth to this. The reason is that about two thirds of
non-free, or bound testosterone is actually chemically bonded to
a protein called Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) and about
1/3 to a protein called albumin. Therefore, according to one
school of thought, only a small percentage (about 2 percent) is
actually free to supercharge our brains, blood, muscles, sex
lives and all the other things we associate with testosterone.
Well, kind of.
It turns out that the testosterone bound to albumin is actually
only bonded loosely and is readily available to do work on your
tissues. In fact, researchers have come up with the following
formula:
Bioavailable Testosterone = Albumin-Bonded Testosterone + Free
Testosterone
And they point out that it is really bioavailable testosterone
that is the true free testosterone. Furthermore, still other
experts counter that total testosterone is really the better
number, because it acts as reserve or bank to build from.
Well, I will leave that debate for the men in white, but, in the
meantime, it's best to realize that free testosterone is an
incredibly important number for men to monitor and maintain.
So what then controls your free testosterone? It turns out that
your level of albumin is relatively fixed with minimal
fluctuation in most men. However, SHBG can vary widely and lab
results clearly show that as SHBG goes up, the percentage of
free testosterone as a percentage of total goes down and, as
SHBG goes down, the percentage of free testosterone goes up.
Thus, it is SHBG that has tremendous control over free
testosterone.
Normal aging, as many of us know all too painfully, leads to
substantial drops in androgens such as testosterone and a
corresponding rise in SHBG. Think how ugly this is: decreasing
testosterone leads to increasing SHBG which leads to decreased
free testosterone. And, practically speaking, low free
testosterone levels will yield low testosterone symptoms just as
surely as low total testosterone will.
There are also many other reasons for low and high SHBG,
including liver dysfunction, estradiol levels, thyroid function
and much more. I cover these in my links on Low SHBG and High
SHBG.
So how do you know if your free testosterone is low? It starts
with a simple test from your doctor. You sometimes have to ask
for this, as some doctors just stick with total testosterone.
Generally, free testosterone is given as a percentage of total
testosterone, the typically acceptable range according to the
lab listed as 1.5%-2.5%.
NOTE: Men on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therarpy or testosterone
therapy) will often have an elevated free testosterone
percentage, because HRT tends to lower SHBG. Also, some men have
low SHBG even before starting HRT. These men often have great
difficulty with achieving successful results from testosterone
therapy for reasons that are not totally understood.
Let me give you 10 Natural Ways to Lower SHBG and Raise Free
Testosterone:
1) Testosterone and Lowering Estradiol. On this page, I'll show
some ways to uniquely raise free testosterone levels. However,
the most straightforward way to raise free testosterone levels
is by raising total testosterone levels. In general, as you
raise total testosterone, free testosterone tends to rise with
it. I have already created a page with 40+ Ways to Raise
Testosterone Naturally. Again, though, on this page we'll look
at some ways to raise your percentage of free testosterone (out
of total testosterone).
Similarly, if you can lower your estradiol levels, you can
generally get a boost in total and free testosterone. Research
shows that normal aging as well as an increase in adipose -
that's a nice way of saying fat - tissue leads to ever
increasing levels of the estrogens. And here's the key:
increasing estrogen leads to increasing SHBG, which will lower
your free testosterone as a percentage of your total. Please
read the important link on How to Control Estrogen.
2) Protein-to-Carbohydrate Ratio. The protein/carbohydrate ratio
has an interesting effect on free testosterone and SHBG. Several
studies have shown that increasing carbs versus protein boosts
total testosterone. However, before you start pounding granola
bars, one study found that increasing the protein/carb ratio not
only increased total testosterone but also SHBG. [4] This means
that free testosterone may not have been increased significantly
because of SHBG's opposing effects. (Increasing the protein to
carbohydrate ratio also increased cortisol).
3) DHEA. Researchers examined untrained young and middle males
and found that giving them 50 mg of DHEA daily raised their free
testosterone significantly. They also noted that normally HIIT
substantially lowers testosterone, but with the DHEA no such
decrease in free testosterone at least occurred. [7] There are
warnings out there that DHEA can increase estradiol
disproportionately, but I have seen no actual research evidence
of this. The real concern with DHEA is more brain-related. Ray
Peat, in particular, has noted:
"One study has found that the only hormone abnormality in a
group of Alzheimer's patients' brains was an excess of DHEA. In
cell culture, DHEA can cause changes in glial cells resembling
those seen in the aging brain. These observations suggest that
DHEA should be used with caution. Supplements of pregnenolone
and thyroid seem to be the safest way to optimize DHEA
production." In spite of this, DHEA seems to be widely used in
the alternative and anti-aging communities. Do your own
research and talk to your doc is all I can say.
CAUTION: Low SHBG men should not lower their SHBG further.
4) Medications and Alcohol. If you have high SHBG and low free
testosterone, one of the first checks you should do is looking
at any prescriptions that you have: many medications can effect
SHBG. Remember that SHBG is made in the liver and most
medications effect the liver. Common drugs that often raise
SHBG are sedatives, antihypertensives, tranquilizers as well as
alcohol.
5) Stinging Nettle. Another way to lower SHBG is through an herb
called Stinging Nettle. Stringing Nettle is widely prescribed
in Europe for BPH ( Benign Prostate Hypertrophy). Several
studies have documented Stinging Nettle's SHBG-lowering powers
[2] and, so far, Stinging Nettle has an excellent safety
profile. However, its side effect profile is worth mentioning:
Stinging Nettle also blocks the action of the enzyme that
converts testosterone to DHT. Some would argue that this is
good since DHT is associated with things like hair loss and
prostate problems. However, sometimes, in sensitive
individuals, side effects include erectile dysfunction and a
decreased amount of semen. Plus, DHT is a critical androgen for
males and very important to libido and so Stinging Nettle is
questionable in my opinion because of it. I should point out
that there are no studies, as far as I know, that actually show
Stinging Nettle increasing free testosterone: more research
needs to be done.
6) Tongkat Ali (LJ 100). One study of a specific extract (LJ
100) of Tongkat Ali found that "SHBG decreased 66%, and the Free
Testosterone Index escalated 73%." [9][10] I have seen claims
that LJ100 is the only extract that it standardized for a high
percentage of eurypeptides, the ingredient responsible for the
above. CAUTION: Tongkat Ali can raise IGF-1 and should be
monitored in those 40+ in my opinion: you do not want to be too
high in this hormone, as it is associated with prostate and
other cancers. (Being too low has been identified with
increased cancer risk.)
7) Boron. This supplement produced a significant drop in SHBG in
a recent study, which lead to a 28% increase and 39% drop in
free testosterone and total estradiol, respectively. [6] This is
a nice change in the testosterone-to-estradiol and should help a
guy feel significantly better. See my link on Boron and
Testosterone for more details.
8) Insulin Resistance. Insulin resistance will lower your SHBG
[1] and, therefore, in the short term probably raise free
testosterone. So let's all get insulin resistant and live
happily ever after, right? Wrong! Insulin resistance is a
death warrant. (Read this link on Metabolic Syndrome for more
details.)
9) Sugar and Corn Syrup. These bad boys can lower SHBG.
Unfortunately, these can lead to insulin resistance,
inflammation, advanced glycation end products and many other
nasty things. How does it do all this? Researchers have
discovered that sugar will also lower SHBG, because it increases
fat synthesis in the liver, which in turn shuts off the gene
involved in SHBG synthesis. Bottom line: stay away from sugar
and corn syrup even though in the short term they may raise your
free testosterone.
10) Vitamin D. Vitamin D was found in a 2009 study of about
2,300 adult males to lower SHBG and increase both free and total
testosterone. [3]
11) Magnesium. Research shows that magnesium can bind to SHBG
and give a man a little higher bioavailable and free
testosterone. I doubt this is a big effect, but it's cheap and
easy to try. See my page on Testosterone and Magnesium for more
details.
HTML https://www.peaktestosterone.com/Free_Testosterone_SHBG.aspx
#Post#: 707--------------------------------------------------
Re: Free Testosterone and SHBG
By: RAD Date: June 3, 2019, 10:54 pm
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Good info there as someone whos running my own trt (docs are
fcukin useless) this is really useful thanks
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