Men, Testosterone, and the Nutrition Conversation Nobody Wants to Have Straight

There is a cold hard fact we need to address before we start pointing fingers at soy, seed oils, carbs, alcohol, takeout, or whatever supplement company is promising to “boost your T” this week:

Men’s testosterone levels appear to be trending lower than they were in previous decades.

In one NHANES-based study, researchers found that testosterone levels declined among adolescent and young adult men in the United States between 1999 and 2016. That decline remained significant even after accounting for age, body mass index, comorbidities, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity (Lokeshwar et al., 2021).

Now, this does not mean there is one single villain.

Testosterone is influenced by:

• Genetics

• Age

• Sleep quality

• Stress

• Training status

• Muscle mass

• Body fat

• Medications

• Alcohol intake

• Environmental exposures

• Overall metabolic health

But for this conversation, I want to stay in one lane:

What does nutrition appear to have to do with testosterone in men?

Before anybody runs to buy the latest “alpha male” test-booster powder, understand this: if your sleep is trash, your stress is high, your diet is mostly takeout, your waistline is creeping up, your alcohol intake is regular, and your training is inconsistent, the supplement aisle is probably not where this conversation should start.

TRT is a separate medical conversation. That is between a man and a qualified medical provider. But even then, it makes sense to understand the diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors that may be pushing the body in the wrong direction before assuming the answer is only medication.

Testosterone Is Not Just a Hormone Conversation. It Is a Metabolic Health Conversation.

When you look at the data, the pattern is not hard to see.

Lower testosterone tends to travel with higher body fat, more visceral fat, worse insulin regulation, lower muscle mass, and poorer metabolic health.

One study in Nutrients looked at 125 adult men and found that the men in the lowest testosterone group had an average BMI of 28.01, while the men in the highest testosterone group had an average BMI of 23.03. The lower-testosterone group also had higher body fat, more visceral fat, higher insulin, higher triglycerides, and lower skeletal muscle mass (Hu et al., 2018).

That is the part men need to sit with.

A lot of us guys want to talk about testosterone, but we do not always want to talk about the daily eating pattern, the late-night snacks, the drinking, the lack of vegetables, the inconsistent protein, the low muscle tissue, or the creeping waistline.

I love my game day tacos and cold ones as much as the next man. But at some point, we have to assess whether certain habits need to be scaled back, tweaked, or eliminated depending on the situation. Especially if there are serious health concerns on the table.

That is not judgment.

That is pattern recognition.

The Takeout Problem: It Is Not One Meal. It Is the Pattern.

The same Nutrients study identified a dietary pattern associated with lower testosterone and higher odds of hypogonadism. Hypogonadism simply means testosterone levels are clinically low, often low enough to potentially affect energy, libido, mood, muscle mass, or overall male reproductive health.

The higher-risk pattern included more:

• Bread and pastries

• Dairy products

• Desserts

• Eating out

And less:

• Homemade foods

• Noodles

• Dark green vegetables

Men in the highest-risk dietary pattern group had 5.72 times higher odds of hypogonadism compared with men in the lowest-risk group, even after adjusting for age and BMI. That same pattern was also linked with more total body fat, more visceral fat, more subcutaneous fat, and less skeletal muscle mass (Hu et al., 2018).

Now, this does not mean one pastry drops your testosterone into the basement. That is not how this works.

The issue is the pattern and the lack of balance.

If most of the week is built around pastries, takeout, restaurant meals, low vegetable intake, and convenience foods, that creates a very different metabolic environment than a diet built around protein, fiber, vegetables, reasonable fats, and mostly homemade meals.

And I get it.

A lot of men are busy. You might be a provider, a full-time dad, a CEO, someone building a business, someone working long shifts, or someone just trying to keep the wheels from falling off. But that is exactly why food strategy matters. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and you cannot expect your body to perform if you keep treating nutrition like an afterthought.

I learned this firsthand working in the busy property management space. There were office parties, random snacks, stress lunches, long days, and plenty of chances to eat whatever was in front of me. When I worked near Georgetown, there were food options everywhere. Some were traps. Some were clutch. Places like Dig became useful because I could customize the plate and keep the staples in place.

That is the key with eating on the go:

Do not look for perfect. Look for customizable.

The basics are simple:

• Whole grains: quinoa, brown rice, farro

• Fiber: nuts, whole grain bread, whole wheat pita, beans, vegetables

• Leaner proteins: lean steak, tofu, salmon, grilled chicken

• Greens: kale, arugula, spinach, raw greens when possible

• Smart drinks: water, coconut water, or if needed, diet soda or juice cut with seltzer

• Dairy caution: cheese, sour cream, and creamy sauces can fit, but get them on the side and control the dose

That one small move — controlling the build of your meal — can be the difference between “I grabbed whatever” and “I still got the job done.”

Do you need to avoid pastries like the plague? No.

But compare a random chain coffee pastry to something like a homemade almond flour banana bread-style muffin or cupcake. With the homemade option, you can control the sugar, add protein, add fiber, use better fats, and make it fit your goals.

Same general craving lane.

Completely different nutritional impact.

That is the difference between eating from impulse and eating with strategy.

Eat Your Veggies. No, Seriously.

Another study summarized in Urology Times looked at 4,151 U.S. men ages 20 and older using NHANES data. Researchers used the Dietary Inflammatory Index, which estimates whether a diet is more proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory. Men eating the most proinflammatory diets had lower average testosterone, and men in the most proinflammatory group had a 30% higher risk of testosterone deficiency (Zhang et al., 2021).

The general proinflammatory pattern was what you would expect: higher saturated fat, higher refined carbohydrates, and lower fruit and vegetable intake.

So let’s make this plain:

Low fruit, low vegetable, low fiber, high refined carb, high saturated fat, frequent takeout, and excess calories is not a strong foundation for male hormone health.

That kind of pattern can feed the same cycle:

More body fat.
Worse insulin control.
More inflammation.
Lower testosterone markers.

And for the men who are not big salad guys, this does not have to be complicated.

You do not need to force down a massive raw kale salad every day if that is not your style. Find vegetables you will actually eat and make them easy.

Carrots and hummus.
Broccoli with Old Bay and extra virgin olive oil.
Cucumbers with vinegar and seasoning.
Spinach tossed into eggs.
Frozen vegetables thrown into rice bowls.
Raw peppers, tomatoes, or carrots as a side while dinner is cooking.

Now, if you are the type who can crush a big salad with yellow peppers, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, kale, iceberg lettuce, chickpea crisps, tomatoes, walnuts, feta, and a few lemon pepper drumsticks on the side, salute. That is a strong plate.

But the real point is simpler:

Pick vegetables you will actually eat consistently.

Vegetables bring fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that help build the foundation for better metabolic health. And better metabolic health is part of the testosterone conversation.

The Low-Fat Trap: Men Still Need Dietary Fat.

Here is where the conversation gets more nuanced.

Some men hear “eat healthier” and immediately go too low-fat. That can backfire.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis compared low-fat and higher-fat diets in men. Across 6 studies with 206 participants, low-fat diets averaged about 19.5% of calories from fat, while higher-fat diets averaged about 39.6%. The low-fat diets were associated with significant decreases in total testosterone, free testosterone, urinary testosterone, and DHT (Whittaker & Wu, 2021).

The authors concluded that low-fat diets appear to decrease testosterone levels in men, although more randomized controlled trials are still needed (Whittaker & Wu, 2021).

As someone who has competed in bodybuilding, I have seen this firsthand. Some men slash fats aggressively in the name of “getting shredded,” and their energy, mood, libido, sleep, and hormone markers can take a hit.

It is one thing to diet with precision.

It is another thing to cut fats indiscriminately and expect your body to keep operating like nothing changed.

This applies outside of bodybuilding too. Some men are naturally leaner eaters. They skip meals, avoid oils, under-eat, snack randomly, and accidentally run low on fats for weeks at a time. That is not always discipline. Sometimes it is just under-fueling with a clean label.

Dietary fat still matters.

Fat supports cell membranes, fat-soluble vitamin absorption, satiety, and hormone-related physiology. That does not mean “eat unlimited bacon and butter.” It means do not chronically crash dietary fat and expect your body to operate optimally.

My preferred fat sources are simple:

• Avocado

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Mixed nuts

• Salmon

• Tofu

• Seeds

• Eggs, if tolerated

Personally, I am not fond of calling dairy a top-tier healthy fat. Plain or lower-sugar Greek yogurt, some feta, and 2% organic milk if tolerated can all fit. But butter, heavy cream, processed cheese, and sugar-loaded yogurts are not the same conversation.

That is where people start using “dairy has nutrients” as a cover for foods that are really just saturated fat, sodium, and/or added sugar.

Alcohol: The Quiet Testosterone Tax

Alcohol deserves its own section because it is one of the easiest things to undercount.

The low-fat diet meta-analysis discussed evidence that testosterone can change quickly with alcohol exposure. In one cited example, testosterone began decreasing after 72 hours of ethanol ingestion in healthy male volunteers and reached levels similar to alcoholic men after 30 days (Whittaker & Wu, 2021).

That does not mean one drink destroys your hormones.

But regular drinking is not neutral.

If a man is drinking several nights per week, sleeping poorly, skipping training, and eating low-quality food after drinking, the alcohol is not operating alone. It is part of a chain reaction.

This is where accountability matters.

It also helps when your circle is open to non-alcoholic beers, mocktails, sparkling waters, teas, or social rituals that do not always revolve around liquor. That is not soft. That is strategic.

And whether you realize it or not, you can become the pioneer of the crew. The innovator. The health-conscious one. Initially, people may give you the side eye. But over time, discipline tends to elicit respect.

A man serious about his energy, physique, performance, and testosterone environment should be able to ask:

Is alcohol helping this body I claim I want?

A lot of times the answer is obvious.

Seed Oils: Not the Devil, But Quality Still Matters

Seed oils get blamed for everything right now. The honest answer is more boring than the internet wants it to be.

Are seed oils automatically poison? No.

The American Heart Association lists common oils such as canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower, and vegetable oil as options that contain more unsaturated fats and less saturated fat. It also lists specialty oils such as avocado, grapeseed, rice bran, and sesame as potentially healthy choices. (www.heart.org)

Harvard Health notes that olive, avocado, and safflower oils are high in monounsaturated fats, while corn and soybean oils are higher in polyunsaturated fats. Harvard also notes that some oils, including soybean, canola, walnut, and flaxseed, provide alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fat. (Harvard Health)

So no, I am not going to say sunflower oil in a home-cooked dish is the end of civilization.

I use certain oils occasionally too.

But from a food-quality standpoint, I still think there is a hierarchy.

Extra virgin olive oil has the strongest overall reputation. Avocado oil is also a strong option, especially for higher-heat cooking. Sunflower, safflower, canola, and similar oils are not automatically dangerous, but the bigger issue is that seed oils often show up heavily in ultra-processed foods, fried foods, packaged snacks, fast foods, and low-quality restaurant meals.

That is the real problem.

Not a teaspoon of sunflower oil in a home-cooked dish.

The problem is the full lifestyle pattern built around cheap oils, refined carbs, low fiber, low protein, low micronutrients, and high calories.

Soy: The Testosterone Villain That Was Mostly Overhyped

Now let’s deal with soy.

Soy has been dragged for years. Men were told it would lower testosterone, increase estrogen, feminize them, and destroy masculinity.

But stronger clinical evidence does not really support that claim.

A 2021 updated meta-analysis in Reproductive Toxicology reviewed 41 clinical studies on soy, soy protein, and isoflavone intake in men. Total testosterone was measured in 1,753 men, free testosterone in 752 men, estradiol in 1,000 men, estrone in 239 men, and SHBG in 967 men. The authors found no significant effect of soy or isoflavone intake on total testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, estrone, or SHBG. This held regardless of dose and study duration (Reed et al., 2021).

That is the part people need to hear clearly:

Normal soy intake does not appear to lower testosterone or raise estrogen in men.

Yes, there were older studies and case reports that raised concerns. The soy meta-analysis discusses those too. But case reports involving extremely high intakes do not outweigh the broader clinical evidence. The paper noted that some case reports involved estimated isoflavone intakes around 360 mg/day, about 9 times typical intake among older Japanese men (Reed et al., 2021).

So my take is simple:

Soy is not the hill to die on.

If a man is eating ultra-processed soy snacks, cheap soy fillers, sugary soy drinks, and low-quality packaged foods, then yes, that is not the best look. But the problem is the ultra-processed pattern, not necessarily soy itself.

Raw or minimally processed tofu is different. Tempeh is different. Edamame is different. Unsweetened soy milk can be different.

Tofu is actually one of the easiest proteins to prepare. Press it, season it, crisp it up, throw it with vegetables, rice, noodles, or a stir-fry, and keep it moving.

The internet made soy sound mystical.

It is food.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This is why I keep coming back to structure and environment.

At Nesfield Performance in Bethesda, we see this every day. Men do better when they are not trying to figure everything out alone. Semi-private training, nutrition coaching, recovery work, and a strong community give you a system to plug into.

Not a magic fix.

A system.

You still have to do the work, but it helps when you are around other like-minded people who are also trying to get stronger, eat better, move better, and take care of themselves with some consistency.

So What Actually Supports a Better Testosterone Environment?

The answer is not sexy, which is why it does not sell as well.

From a nutrition standpoint, the stronger foundation is:

The point is not perfection.

The point is removing the obvious leaks.

A man does not need to eat like a monk. But he probably should not eat like a tired teenager and expect adult male physiology to thrive.

My Hot Take

A lot of men are not low in testosterone because they are missing some rare herb from a mountain.

They are under-muscled, over-stressed, under-slept, overfed, undernourished, drinking too often, eating too much takeout, and trying to supplement their way out of a lifestyle problem.

That may sound harsh, but it is practical.

The testosterone conversation needs less panic and more ownership.

Before blaming soy, before blaming one oil, before buying a supplement stack, before assuming TRT is the only possible path, look at the pattern:

How often are you eating homemade meals?

How much alcohol is in the week?

How much muscle are you carrying?

How much visceral fat are you carrying?

Are you eating enough dietary fat, or are you still stuck in low-fat diet culture?

Are vegetables actually in the diet, or are they just something you respect in theory?

Are pastries, desserts, and takeout occasional foods, or are they the structure of your week?

That is where the real conversation starts.

Stay Strong, Gents

Men’s testosterone levels appear to have declined over recent decades, and the reasons are likely multifactorial. Nutrition is not the only factor, but it is a major piece of the environment men create for their hormones.

That is one of the reasons I value the environment at Nesfield Performance in Bethesda. You are around people who are not pretending life is simple. Men are balancing work, family, stress, nutrition, aging, training, and recovery just like everyone else.

The difference is they are still showing up.

Semi-private training, nutrition support, and a strong community can make the process feel less isolated. One step at a time, you start building proof that you are still capable of improving.

The move is not fear.

The move is strategy.

Build meals. Lift weights. Eat enough protein. Keep dietary fat reasonable. Stop making alcohol a personality trait. Stop outsourcing every meal to restaurants. Keep soy in proper context. Use better oils when possible. Eat vegetables like a grown man.

That will do more for most men than chasing another bottle with lightning bolts on the label.

Ready to stop guessing and start building a real nutrition strategy?

At Nesfield Performance in Bethesda, our nutrition coaching program is built around exactly what this article covers — not supplements, not shortcuts, but a sustainable approach to eating that supports your training, your body composition, and your long-term hormone health.

We work with real men navigating real schedules — busy weeks, social drinking, takeout temptations, and all the rest. The goal is not perfection. The goal is a system that actually holds up in your life.

Nutrition coaching. Semi-private training. A community that keeps you accountable.

Book a free consultation today and let's look at what your current pattern is actually doing for you.

📞 240.652.2808 📧 info@reply.nesfieldperformance.com 🌐 nesfieldperformance.com

About the author:
Chris Njoku Moser: CPT, Nutrition Coach — Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach at Nesfield Performance, Bethesda. Evidence-based coaching in strength, recovery, and sustainable habit change.

About Nesfield Performance:
Nesfield Performance — a Bethesda performance & wellness studio serving Chevy Chase and the DC suburbs. We combine strength training, movement education, nutrition guidance, and recovery strategies to build long-term resilience and health. Learn more: nesfieldperformance.com

References

Hu, T.-Y., Chen, Y. C., Lin, P., Shih, C.-K., Bai, C.-H., Yuan, K.-C., Lee, S.-Y., & Chang, J.-S. (2018). Testosterone-associated dietary pattern predicts low testosterone levels and hypogonadism. Nutrients, 10(11), 1786. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111786

Lokeshwar, S. D., Patel, P., Fantus, R. J., Halpern, J., Chang, C., Kargi, A. Y., & Ramasamy, R. (2021). Decline in serum testosterone levels among adolescent and young adult men in the USA. European Urology Focus, 7(4), 886–889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euf.2020.02.006

Reed, K. E., Camargo, J., Hamilton-Reeves, J., Kurzer, M., & Messina, M. (2021). Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones: An expanded and updated meta-analysis of clinical studies. Reproductive Toxicology, 100, 60–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.12.019

Whittaker, J., & Wu, K. (2021). Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: Systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 210, 105878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105878

Zhang, C., Bian, H., Chen, Z., et al. (2021). The association between dietary inflammatory index and sex hormones among men in the United States. The Journal of Urology, 206(1), 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001703