Cod Liver Oil Can Increase Testosterone Levels and Lower SHBG
Cod Liver Oil and Testosterone
As I have mentioned on this site before, consuming good quality fats is one of the best ways to provide your body with the raw materials it needs to boost testosterone levels.
This post is going to look at one special supplement that can provide your body with all of these pro-testosterone vitamins and fats.
There is a reason why people living in Northern Europe have been consuming nutrient dense cod liver oil for centuries to stay healthy and strong through the winter months.
They knew that using cod liver oil would increase immunity, protect against aching joints and provide a good dose of Vitamin D.
If I had to recommend one supplement that contains the best nutrients to boost testosterone it would have to be a high-quality cod liver oil.
Cod liver oil is extremely beneficial for health and as you will see from the list below, these benefits extend further than just increasing testosterone.
Let’s see how cod liver oil benefits testosterone levels and why you should take it every day.
What is Cod Liver Oil?
Cod liver oil as the name suggests comes from oil extracted from the cod’s liver. Animals store a tremendous amount of nutrients in the vital organs and this is why cod liver oil contains many nutrients that can benefit men’s health.
Another reason why cod liver oil can benefit you is because it contains an abundant amount of essential vitamins including vitamin A and vitamin D which are both beneficial for testosterone production.
Cod liver oil also contains high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in oily fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines.
It’s also one of the few foods that contain both Vitamin D and omega-3s together. These two nutrients are very important for the immune system, cardiovascular system, and the hormonal system.
Because people are not eating as many anti-inflammatory foods as they once did, cod liver oil can be a great support for reducing inflammation in the body. Studies are now showing that cod liver oil can even lower the need for anti-inflammatory drugs.
Inflammation itself can be a cause for a lot of diseases and can reduce testosterone levels by affecting the Leydig cells functioning inside the testicles.
To read my article on how inflammation can lower testosterone and learn about some foods that can reduce inflammation click here.
How Cod Liver Oil Increases Testosterone Levels
Cod liver oil contains some important nutrients that can support testosterone production. Here are some ways that cod liver oil benefits testosterone levels.
Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin A
Cod liver oil contains much more vitamin A per unit weight than any other fish oil or food you can consume.
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that is important for a healthy immune system, strong bones, healthy skin, healthy sperm, healthy skin and good eyesight.
When you have adequate levels of Vitamin A your body can utilize the fat from your diet and it’s these healthy fats that give the body the raw materials it needs to produce testosterone.
Again Cod Liver oil contains more vitamin D per unit weight than any other fish oil or food you can consume.
Vitamin D is actually not a vitamin at all but is, in fact, a steroid hormone and according to the Vitamin D council, 50% of the population is at risk of Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is important for sexual function, healthy hormone system, fertility, and growth. Many of the functions of vitamin D are connected to the endocrine system showing how this vitamin can be beneficial for optimal hormone levels.
As mentioned already, cod liver oil contains high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids and these fatty acids can help protect testosterone in many different ways.
One of the ways that omega 3 fatty acids protect your testosterone is by improving the insulin response thereby protecting you from insulin resistance which is strongly linked with a decrease in testosterone production.
Increasing your intake of healthy fatty acids will also reduce inflammation which as already mentioned has been linked to low testosterone levels.
Another reason that cod liver oil benefits testosterone is because the omega 3 fatty acids it contains are also very beneficial for lowering cortisol and stress which are big testosterone killers.
Cod Liver Oil Lowers SHBG
Another way that cod liver oil can increase testosterone is by lowering SHBG in the body.
As we get older the levels of SHBG start to increase in the body, and what you need to know about SHBG is that 60-70% of your total testosterone is bound to SHBG which means it won’t be available for your body.
This is why lowering SHBG will increase the free testosterone that flows freely through your bloodstream and that provides all the benefits to your body and mind.
Read my post on how to lower SHBG naturally and boost your free testosterone levels.
The combination of these T boosting vitamins and healthy omega 3 fatty acids along with the ability to lower SHBG make cod liver oil a very powerful testosterone booster.
Other Benefits of Cod Liver Oil
Cod liver oil benefits testosterone production but it also can provide many other health benefits. Here are some more benefits cod liver oil can provide you.
1. Brain Function
Cod liver oil can improve brain function and improve depression due to the high amounts of essential fatty acids and vitamin D.
Omega 3 fatty acids are very valuable to the brain and can slow down the decline in cognitive function and help the brain to work more efficiently.
There was a study that was published in 2007 by the Journal of Affective Disorders that showed that the omega 3 fatty acids found in cod liver oil helped to improve depression and anxiety in the general population. You can see this study by clicking here.
2. Fertility
As mentioned earlier fats are critical for the endocrine system as they can help the body to manufacture sex hormones and because they can have a positive impact on insulin resistance.
A study done in 2007 by the University of Newcastle in Australia showed that Polyunsaturated fats found in cod liver oil give sperm the raw materials to build a fluid plasma membrane which positively affects the movement of the sperm.
There are also studies from the University of Oslo in Norway that show that women who consumed cod liver oil while pregnant had children that scored higher on intelligence tests compared to women who took corn oil instead.
3. Heart Disease
Cod liver oil has been shown to lower a dangerous fat called triglycerides that can increase your chances of heart disease. It also has the ability to increase good cholesterol in the body and lower blood pressure.
Cod liver oil can improve the lining of the arteries and can facilitate the healing of the arteries after they have been damaged. This improvement to the arteries comes from the omega-3 fatty acids along with vitamin A, D, and K that improve the absorption of minerals and improve the elasticity of blood vessels.
There are many human studies that show how the polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in cod liver oil reduce the hardening of arteries. (study, study)
Dozens of studies have shown the following benefits of cod liver oil.
Can prevent and treat diabetes
Lowers high blood pressure
Improves depression and keeps the brain healthy
Protects against eye disorders like glaucoma
Improves and treats kidney disease
Can increase bone strength and protect against osteoporosis
Contributes to clearer and healthier skin
What is The Best Cod Liver Oil to Take?
One thing to keep in mind when deciding which cod liver oil to take, is that there are many supplements out there that contain fillers, are unnatural and can be rancid.
Also, remember that vitamin A and D work synergistically in the body and consuming a large amount of vitamin A can lead to a vitamin D deficiency.
However, there is a supplement out there that contains good amounts of both vitamin A and D along with the following testosterone nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2, vitamin E, saturated fat, cholesterol, and good quality omega-3 fatty acids.
This supplement is called High Vitamin Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil.
This high-quality supplement is made from dairy oil that is extracted without using heat and the cod liver oil is obtained from wild fish caught in the clean waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Conclusion
As you can see cod liver oil increases testosterone levels because of the T-boosting nutrients it contains.
It can improve many areas of your health and really is a great supplement for men to take every day.
Just make sure to choose the good quality fermented cod liver oil for the best results.
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