Fit Chief’s Top 5 Testosterone Boosting Ingredients
Okay, let’s be real. Testosterone Boosters will never be as effective as steroids.
But this doesn’t mean that they don’t make a difference to your gains – because they definitely do.
Unlike steroids, with a T-Booster you’re not risking any negatives side effects after you come off it.
This is down to them being made from all natural ingredients.
On the face of it natural testosterone boosters can:
- Increase Muscle Mass – Faster recovery and muscle growth
- Lower body fat – Decreases waistline and become more triangular
- Boost energy – Workout for longer
- Raised Libido – More noticeable sex drive
I know, it sounds awesome. So it must be bullshit, right?
Firstly, T-Boosters aren’t the cliched ‘magic pill’ you see on TV. Due to the over-the-top marketing of modern day supplements, the consumer went through a phase of expecting results instantly.
After realizing the product didn’t live up to the advertising. A distrust grew between the lifting community and the supplements industry, where anything released seemed more suspicious than super.
T-Boosters do work, but only when the ingredients are in check and the supplement is taken from around 4-12 weeks. It takes time for the body to adjust to the natural influences.
Secondly, the testosterone boosting process isn’t a simple process when done naturally. Multiple factors must be managed by the supplement to ensure a steady rise in testosterone levels in the body. This boils down to three key processes:
Testosterone Production – Nutrients in good testosterone boosters help with reactions in the brain to form the building blocks of testosterone.- Freeing Testosterone – 60% of T-Levels are bound by by Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, which reduces its anabolic potency. T-Boosters reduce SHBG and raise overall test.
- Suppressing Estrogen – This is more an issue for guys over 30 – T-Levels and are converted into Estrogen. Boosters suppress the estrogen producing enzyme allowing for more T production.
These three processes are not in every testosterone booster, and occur only in the more effective brands. So it would be wise to do your research, and a key way to identify a good one is through the ingredients.
The Top Proven Testosterone Boosting Ingredients
This is the center of a lot of controversy. When it comes to natural ingredients health celebrities like Dr Oz argue for one, while some marketing teams argue another.
Why? Money. All they want is for you to buy their product and pad their pockets.
So who do you trust? Simple. The cold hard facts.
We’ve compiled a list of the best ingredients on the market that boost T-levels and are backed by scientific evidence:
1. Vitamin D3 (Testosterone Producer)
Incorrectly labelled a vitamin, D3 is a hormone that the body synthesizes through the skin after contact with sunlight. It is responsible for regulating over 1000 processes in the body, including hormone secretion, overall growth, sexual function and bone density. These are all closely linked to testosterone.
What’s worrying is the amount of men deficient in vitamin D3 – however we have our culture to blame for that. ‘Low D’ usually comes from not getting enough natural sunlight, now as most of us work at indoor jobs, it’s hard for our bodies to synthesize enough to D.
The same goes for those living in overcast countries like the UK. Living under typically clouded skies, not many in the UK can naturally reap the benefit of normal level D.
In this study, participants took 3,334 IU of D3 every day for a year. The result was an average rise in their testosterone levels of 25.2%.
Conversely, in this study, men with the standard amount of Vitamin D3 were compared to those who were insufficient in the hormone. Those with the recommended amount of D3 were seen to have higher testosterone levels and a lower SHBG count.
Be sure to recognize that we are talking about Vitamin D3 here, not D2 or any other. D3 has been proven to have the highest form of bio-availability, D2 is made via a poor chemical process. Be careful.
2. D-Aspartic Acid (Testosterone Producer)
An amino acid that is key to boosting T-levels. DAA reacts with the brain to secrete luteinizing hormone. This is a precursor to testosterone, but also helps make growth hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.
Be aware that some companies use DAA put don’t use enough to be effective. Make sure the dosage is clearly marked and is in the 2,000 – 3,000 mg area.
In this study, 2,660 mg of DAA was taken by 23 men while 20 received a placebo over the course of 12 days. 6 days in T levels were 15% higher than the placebo group, and 42% by day 12.
3. Oyster Extract (Testosterone Producer, Estrogen Suppressant)
A natural aphrodisiac, but also effective at raising T. One of the main compounds found in oyster is zinc. Zinc has been proven to boost T levels in as little as a six week period (study).
However, Oyster also contains selenium and calcium which are also necessary to producing testosterone (study, study).
From an estrogen side of things, Oyster Extract contains omega-3 fatty acids which has been seen on a few occasions to lower estrogen rates like in this study.
Not only that but they contain a range of amino acids and vitamins which support a healthy lifestyle.
4. Asian Red Panax Ginseng (Libido Booster, Free Testosterone Promoter)
Originally used as a traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng has been to balance hormones and help with erectile dysfunction. This is through the ginseng’s ability to release nitric oxide throughout the body after absorption. The nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and increases circulation throughout the body.
Just check out this study where subjects with erectile dysfunction took 1,000mg of ginseng three times a day. In comparison to the placebo group, the ginseng subjects had reported more success with their libidos and erections than those not taking it.
When looking at Ginseng for a testosterone angle. This study shows ginseng increases spermatozoa and an increase in plasma total and free testosterone.
5. Magnesium (Promoter of Free Testosterone)
Magnesium is key in relation the body’s amount of SHBG. As Sex Hormone Binding Globulin can claim up to 60% of the body’s testosterone, it can be a real killer to your T levels. Using minerals such as magnesium however remedies the problem.
Over 300 bodily functions are controlled by magnesium. And one of those is increasing free testosterone, by reducing the effects of SHBG.
A lot of Americans don’t get enough magnesium in their diet, with the daily value being 400mg. Even if you think you are on a healthy diet you may be deficient – magnesium is found in foods like leafy greens, avacados, yogurt, dark chocolate and dried fruit.
Supplementing magnesium would be a good way to know for sure, and if you were deficient – you’ve just boosted your testosterone.
In this study magnesium increased testosterone by 24% just through combining its supplementation with intense exercise.
Whereas here magnesium was shown to inhibit Sex Hormone Binding Globulin. This stopped the SHBG from binding to the testosterone levels and improving the overall T count.
Where can I find these ingredients?
It can be hard to track down a T-Booster that contains each of these ingredients.
From what we’ve seen, there’s only a handful on the market that contains all of the above at suitable doses.
One of the first that we’ve seen is TestoFuel.
An anabolic support complex that includes 5000IUs of D3, and 2300mg of D-AA which are both essential to testosterone production. As supporting ingredients TestoFuel also has 200mg of Magnesium, 100mg of Oyster Extract (along with an additional 10mg of Zinc), 100mg of Ginseng and more.
Closely behind that, Prime Male, another T-Booster but aimed at the over 30s.
Prime Male contains things we’ve talked about like Vitamin D3 (5000IU) and D-Aspartic Acid (1600mg) which helps boost testosterone – however this is less than TestoFuel. There is however more zinc in this supplement than TestoFuel (30mg) and it still contains magnesium and red ginseng. In addition Prime Male also has an estrogen suppressant called Luteolin – a bioflavanoid proven to inhibit estrogen producing enzymes.
Lastly we have P6 Black by Cellucor, but this is a double edged sword.
This T-Booster contains DAA, Vitamin D3, Zinc and magnesium. It also contains so nootropic components as well for an added cognitive kick, however this product is majorly outdone by TestoFuel as P6 Black is underdosed in some areas and lacks the added edge of ginseng and oyster extract.
Each of these products we have reviewed individually, you can find our full report over and personal experiences over here.
Overall Conclusion
One idea that you shouldn’t take away from this article is that these are the only nutrients that can help raise testosterone.
These are just our top 5, there are still other ingredients out there which also contribute towards testosterone production. However, there are also some ingredients out there which make no difference to testosterone levels.
The two main offenders in the industry currently are Tribulus Terrestris and Deer Antler Velvet.
Both have been touted to have strong testosterone boosting effects, yet neither have ever been shown to work in a clinical test.
When taking into account the effectiveness of these ingredients, what you really want to find is a T-Booster that contains them all.
Out of all the T-Boosters we've tried – TestoFuel is by far, the most effective for making serious gains.
It has clinically proven ingredients, generous dosages and refuses to hide any of them behind proprietary blends.
See our review right here!
Lose fat while keeping muscle
Supercharge your workouts
Suppress your appetite while dieting
Read our review right here!
