Testosterone in athletes

[arsenio7]

Several articles are showing that many athletes have an FT that is debatably low.

Such in this one:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097792

Why do endocrine profiles in elite athletes differ between sports? - PubMed

It is unclear whether the differences in hormone profiles between sports is a reason why they become elite athletes in that sport or is a consequence of the arduous processes involved. For components of body composition we know that most have a major genetic component and this may well be true...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As an amateur marathoner (just about the 3hour for full-marathon), it seems that my endogenous FT (around 0.33 nmol/L) is acceptable.

It's well known that long-distance runners are having kinda low T/low FT.

But what amazes me the most is to see sprinters (0.39 nmol/L) which are usually kinda literally beasts of muscles having T which is pretty low compared to the normal population... but they still have outstanding explosiveness, quick power, recovery, and important muscle mass.

Is there a piece of the puzzle am I missing?

This post is a bit out-of-subject, but I'd be very interested in knowing the advice of the ExcelMale community members (who are actually always impressing me by the quality of their posts/responses)

 

[Willyt]

Good stuff. I figured the distance athletes would have had lower relative T/FT results for the reasons you mentioned. But not sure I would call the overall FT results "low". Looks average. Did you expect them to be over range?

 

[Mastodont]

Wish they tested GH also, it does make sense for those t levels to not be top of range as exercise does consume testosterone

 

[Cataceous]

... exercise does consume testosterone

Do you have any references for that? Even if exercise were enhancing testosterone metabolism the HPTA would normally compensate with increased production. My impression is that the regulatory set point of the hypothalamus is actually lowered.

 

[Vince]

Several articles are showing that many athletes have an FT that is debatably low.

Such in this one:
View attachment 24821

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097792

View attachment 24823

Why do endocrine profiles in elite athletes differ between sports? - PubMed

It is unclear whether the differences in hormone profiles between sports is a reason why they become elite athletes in that sport or is a consequence of the arduous processes involved. For components of body composition we know that most have a major genetic component and this may well be true...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As an amateur marathoner (just about the 3hour for full-marathon), it seems that my endogenous FT (around 0.33 nmol/L) is acceptable.

It's well known that long-distance runners are having kinda low T/low FT.

But what amazes me the most is to see sprinters (0.39 nmol/L) which are usually kinda literally beasts of muscles having T which is pretty low compared to the normal population... but they still have outstanding explosiveness, quick power, recovery, and important muscle mass.

Is there a piece of the puzzle am I missing?

This post is a bit out-of-subject, but I'd be very interested in knowing the advice of the ExcelMale community members (who are actually always impressing me by the quality of their posts/responses)

Many athletes overwork themselves and lower their testosterone levels. A pretty common occurrence.

 

[Vince]

Sex Drive and Exercises-When Is It Too Much? – Tulane Doctors Urology Garden District New Orleans

Tulane Urology provides specialized urologic treatment for men and women, including urogynecology. Our comprehensive clinical team treats prostate cancer, sexual health issues, incontinence, and more. We are located in the Garden District in New Orleans. Our team of fellowship physicians look...

tulaneurologygardendistrict.com

 

[arsenio7]

Good stuff. I figured the distance athletes would have had lower relative T/FT results for the reasons you mentioned. But not sure I would call the overall FT results "low". Looks average. Did you expect them to be over range?

According to the value at the 25th percentile, we see that nearly one quarter of the athlete are with low freet (0.225nmol/L being usually used at a limit)

On the other hand, I just saw that that athlete blood samples were not collected in the morning when T is peaking as in most protocols where we try to compare T or fT or diagnose hypogonadism.

 

[Gladiator]

Over doing cardio kills testosterone levels. I thought this was common knowledge until last week when I was told I was full of shit.
Lifting heavy weights is supposed to help with testosterone levels but then doing cardio will burn fat muscle and testosterone.

A doctor will tell you to excise more when your natural levels are low but if you already train 6 to 12 hours a week it’s not going to work. That’s when athletes start cheating.