Can Selenium Help Increase Testosterone?

Why Is Selenium Important Beyond Thyroid Health?

Most people know about selenium because of how it helps the thyroid. But it’s not just for that. Selenium is also important for sex hormones, like testosterone. Selenium is a trace mineral that is very important for health. It is a key part of several antioxidant enzymes, like glutathione peroxidase. These enzymes help protect cells from damage that can happen because of free radicals and oxidative stress.

Selenium helps your thyroid work well. It does this by helping make thyroid hormones that control how your body uses energy, grows, and feels. Selenium is good for your body’s defense system, or the immune system, because it helps your body fight off things that make you sick. It can also help your heart and blood flow because it brings down swelling in your body.

The body needs only a little selenium. But, if you get too much or too little, it can lead to health issues. That is why it is important to keep your intake balanced. You can do this with food or by taking supplements if you need them.

Why Is Testosterone So Vital for Men and Women?

Testosterone is a key hormone in the body. It is mostly known for its role in men's health. But it is found in both men and women.

In men, this hormone is important for making male reproductive parts like the testes and prostate. It helps with making sperm, and is needed for this job. Testosterone is also needed to cause changes that happen when boys grow up. This includes making muscles and bones stronger, the voice getting deeper, and growing hair on the face and other parts of the body.

Testosterone does more than affect how you look. It also has a big impact on your mood, energy, and thinking. This can help you keep your drive up, feel sure of yourself, and support your mind so you feel good overall.

In men and women, it helps with bone strength, body fat, and keeping muscles strong. This is important for health and how well people can move and act. When testosterone is low, it can cause you to feel tired, have less interest in sex, lose muscle, and face some other health problems. This shows how it matters a lot for keeping people healthy and feeling good.

How Does Selenium Support Testosterone Synthesis?

Now, how does selenium help make testosterone?

Testosterone is made in the Leydig cells in the testes. These cells can be hurt easily by things called oxidative stress. Selenium is very important for some enzymes that act as antioxidants like glutathione peroxidase. These enzymes help fight off free radicals. This can keep the Leydig cells safe from damage caused by oxidative stress.

Selenium helps keep the cells in the testes healthy. Because of this, it supports the normal making of testosterone.

What Do Studies Show About Selenium and Testosterone Levels?

Many studies say that there is a link between levels of selenium and how much testosterone there is.

Studies show that men who get enough selenium often have higher testosterone levels than men who do not get enough of it. Some tests have found that taking selenium can help improve sperm and raise testosterone in the blood. This is mostly true for men who have low selenium in their bodies.

This means that selenium does more than protect the testes. It also helps the body make hormones.

How Is Selenium Connected to Thyroid Health and Hormonal Balance?

Selenium also helps with how the body uses thyroid hormones, and this can have an effect on testosterone.

Thyroid hormones help control how the body uses energy and keep your body's systems running. If these hormones are not at healthy levels, it can make it hard for the body to make reproductive hormones. There are selenium-based enzymes, including iodothyronine deiodinases, that the body uses to change thyroid hormones so they work the right way.

Having a healthy thyroid helps make sure that the body makes testosterone in the testes the right way. This shows another way selenium can help keep hormone levels balanced.

Can Selenium Reduce Age-Related Testosterone Decline?

Oxidative stress plays a big role in lower testosterone as men get older. When men age, there is more free radical creation in the body. The things that help protect against this often get weaker over time.

Selenium is important for some enzymes in the body. These include glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase. This nutrient helps to fight against too much oxidative stress. Because of this, it can lower damage in the body’s cells and help with swelling in hormone-making tissues. With less of this damage, selenium can help keep testosterone at good levels as men get older. This may also help with muscle strength, healthy bones, and sex drive as the years go by.

How Does Selenium Influence Reproductive Health and Fertility?

Another important part of how selenium works with testosterone is what it does for your body when it comes to having children. When you do not have enough selenium, it can hurt the way sperm are made. It can also make sperm move poorly and look different from normal.

Sperm health is linked to how much testosterone the body makes. Selenium helps to keep the right amount of testosterone in the body. This way, the body can use it for things that help with reproduction.

Research done on animals and people shows that taking selenium can help make sperm better and also raise testosterone levels. This shows that selenium is important for both fertility and keeping hormones in balance.

Can Too Much Selenium Be Harmful?

It is good to know that selenium must be kept in a small safe range. If you do not get enough selenium, this can hurt testosterone levels and your reproductive health. At the same time, taking too much selenium can be harmful. This may change the way your hormones work.

Brazil nuts, seafood, eggs, and organ meats are good foods to get selenium. Most people get enough selenium by eating these foods. You should think about taking supplements only after talking to a doctor. This is very important for people who live in places where selenium in the diet is too high or too low.

How Can You Check and Optimize Selenium Levels?

And guess what? If you are having problems with low testosterone, you might want to check your selenium levels. You can do this by using a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) test. The test shows if you have any imbalance in minerals or toxic heavy metals. These things can get in the way of how your hormones work.

If you want to begin taking supplements, try our Upgraded Selenium. This is a nano mineral supplement made for better ability to get into the body and work well.