More of my male patients are asking me what the signs and symptoms are of low testosterone.
Some of the more common symptoms include erectile dysfunction, hair loss, fatigue and lack of energy, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, decreased bone mass leading to osteoporosis and mood changes.
The normal range of testosterone is 300 to 1,000 ng/dL. Your levels can be easily checked with your physician by a simple blood test. The optimum time to do the test is between 7 and 10 a.m.
A very interesting paper was recently presented at the 2015 American Urological Conference by Dr. Mary Ann McLaughlin.
In it, she stated that low levels of testosterone were noted in males with low levels of vitamin D.
In this study she had a population of 824 males.
She drew blood from all participants and found the following.
First, 68 per cent of all the individuals had low levels of vitamin D. The amount of testosterone was higher in individuals who had normal levels of vitamin D.
Interestingly, the investigators found that males who had low vitamin D also had a higher body mass index, in addition to having a larger waist circumference and poorer lipid profile.
Some studies have cited that 78 per cent of people in our latitude are vitamin D deficient.
“Research is pouring in from all around the world proving its (vitamin D) role in calcium metabolism, bone health, normal hormone function and prevention of colon, breast and prostate cancer and deterrence of would-be autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis diabetes and Alzheimer ’s disease” reports Susie Langley, of The Medical Post.
Cornell University did an enormous study that said that taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D combined with 15 minutes of sunshine reduced the occurrence of colon cancer by two-thirds and breast cancer by half.
We have vitamin D receptors in every single organ system of the body, including our immune system. They promote normal cell function throughout the body, cites McGill and Harvard researchers.
Further, they found that these receptors, hence, the vitamin D is necessary for our body’s formation of natural antibiotics. They postulate that this may be why TB was previously cured by sunlight exposure in the past.
I feel vitamin D is a necessary part of good health, not only in prevention of disease, but the maintenance of good health.