Fast Food and Testosterone

It is a scientifically established fact that processed foods are dangerous for our health. But still every now and then we find ourselves at McDonald’s, KFC and other fast food (also known as junk food restaurants) deciding whether to buy the zinger burger or to go for big Mac to satisfy our cravings.  It is ironic that a lot of us already know that excessive consumption of junk food can lead to many health issues, but did you know that consumption of fast food can badly impact testosterone levels in males

Testosterone level:

Testosterone plays a major role in men’s body, such as building their muscle mass, enhancing their sex drive, improving bone strength, maintaining erection as well as healthy size of penis, their memory etc. So, it is very important to maintain healthy testosterone levels.

Fast food health effects:

Junk food or fast food tastes good, are relatively cheaper as well as highly processed (which also means that the nutritious value of such foods is significantly low). Most people especially youngsters are addicted to fast foods these days.

It is about quality as well as quantity:

It is a general perception that fast food contains high calories and can make you fat however the fact is if you take the same amounts of calories even with clean homemade food it will have the same impact on your body. Balanced diet is necessary for healthy living. If you eat healthy food in large amount then extra calorie deposits in some part of your body and is converted into fat. If you do not burn these extra calories then even healthy nutritious diet can also lead to obesity. So, it is important to take balance calories and burn extra fat because obesity results in low testosterone levels. In addition, junk food is bad for following reasons:

• Trans fats: All fried foods are rich in large amounts of Trans fats. Trans fats originates from normal vegetable oil that is heated and burned for a long period of time – thereby changing the structure of fats (making them distorted and elongated lipids). This may lead to premature hypertension, low serum levels of HDL and high serum levels of LDL that eventually affect your sex life by lowering testosterone levels.
• Saturated Fats: Fast foods consist of large amounts of saturated fats. Saturated fats blocks or hardens your arteries; thereby resulting in decreased blood flow towards the penis. High consumption of saturated fats also increases your serum cholesterol levels and early onset arteriosclerosis that eventually leads to erectile problems.
• Excitotoxins: Fast food are full of excitotoxins mainly glutamates. Various research studies have proved that long term or high consumption can affect your thyroid gland, causes obesity and wreaks havoc on the hormonal system.
• Heterocyclic Amines: The steak and fast food grills are cooked on extremely high heat that creates black coating or char that we all enjoy. This char is filled with heterocyclic amines which is transferred from your blood to your prostate gland, ultimately increasing the risk of prostate cancer as well as other prostate related issues.

Research regarding junk foods impacts:

According to a new research that was conducted on 8,877 study subjects, people who consume large portions of fast foods have high levels of DEHP, DINP and phthalates. The study participants who consume more than 33 percent of fast food as part of their daily calorie intake have 23% higher levels of DEHP and DINP. Another research conducted in 2011 to 2012 suggested that high level of phthalates reduce testosterone levels by 20 to 29 percent in males.

Conclusion:

The fast food is called junk food for a reason. It is no surprise that fast food is not healthy for us as excessive intake can lead to hormonal imbalance. It is therefore recommended to minimize the intake.