How to Raise Testosterone Levels Naturally (Teen Boys)

Co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: February 19, 2023 References

Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males, responsible for the development of the penis and testes as well as muscle size and strength. During puberty, testosterone is responsible for the deepening of the voice and the growth of facial and body hair. If, as a teen boy, your testosterone levels are low, puberty may be delayed, which can be embarrassing and make you self-conscious. There are herbal supplements that claim to boost testosterone naturally, but these are generally ineffective. Because your overall health can affect your testosterone levels, it's possible to raise your testosterone levels naturally by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. If these changes don't help, your doctor may recommend testosterone replacement therapy.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Increasing Testosterone through Lifestyle Changes

1
Reduce stress hormones that interfere with testosterone production. Life as a teenager can be stressful. If you don't cope with that stress well, your body produces more of a hormone called cortisol. The cortisol essentially tells your body to focus on the stress, rather than on other functions, which results in lower testosterone production. Learning healthy ways to cope with stress can increase the amount of testosterone your body produces.^{[2]
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- Don't be afraid to talk to a therapist or other mental health professional if you're having a hard time coping with stress. They can help you find healthy ways to handle stressful situations.
- Listening to music, going for a walk, and playing with a pet are some simple ways to take a break when life gets stressful. If you have any hobbies, such as drawing or playing a musical instrument, those can also be good stress relievers.
- Meditation and deep-breathing exercises are popular ways to relieve stress. You might also try a yoga or tai chi class.
2
Engage in brief high-intensity workouts to stimulate testosterone production. High-intensity exercise, such as through interval training, has a greater effect on testosterone production than other types of exercise. Because many of these routines don't require any special equipment, these are also workouts you can do at home.^{[3]
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- Keep your workouts relatively short (20 to 30 minutes) to get the most out of the high intensity. Work out as much muscle mass as possible to stimulate the most testosterone production.
- In addition to your high-intensity workouts, add cardiovascular exercises to your regular routine, such as walking, cycling, or swimming. Doing these activities with a friend can help you keep your motivation up and make exercise more fun.
Warning: Talk to your doctor before starting high-intensity exercise to make sure you're healthy enough to do these exercises on a regular basis. When you're first getting started, exercise under the supervision of a certified trainer to make sure you're using the correct form.

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3
Get at least 9 hours of sleep each night to give your body time to produce testosterone. Teenagers generally need more sleep than adults. Since your body produces the bulk of its testosterone in the early morning hours while you're sleeping, a full night's sleep is essential if you want to raise your testosterone levels.^{[4]
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- Set yourself a bedtime and try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Turn off electronics a couple of hours before bed and keep your bedroom cool and dark. This will help you have better quality sleep.
- Avoid drinking caffeinated or sugary beverages, including sodas and energy drinks, in the evening hours. They'll make it more difficult for you to relax and go to sleep.
4
Make a plan to lose weight if you are overweight. Carrying excess weight can cause your body to produce less testosterone. Apart from that, obesity causes other significant health problems. Get your doctor or a nutritionist to help you design a plan to lose weight and keep it off. This can improve your testosterone levels, but it takes time.^{[5]
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- Losing weight is a relatively slow process, especially if you're looking for sustained weight loss. Instead of crash dieting to lose weight quickly, start eating more vegetables and whole grains and fewer fried foods. If you eat a lot of fast food, simply eliminating that can help you lose weight and become more healthy.
- Be ready to make significant lifestyle changes, including exercising regularly and eating healthier foods. On average, you can expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.
- If you need to lose 50 pounds, for example, be prepared for it to take you about a year to lose that weight. However, you may see changes in your testosterone levels before you reach your weight-loss goal.
Tip: Find healthier substitutions for your favorite foods. For example, you can make macaroni and cheese with whole wheat pasta or bake pizza with a whole wheat crust, low-fat cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Improving Your Diet

1
Eliminate excess sugar that can block testosterone production. Cutting back on sweets is tied to weight loss, but even if you don't need to lose weight, eliminating most of the sugar in your diet can help raise your testosterone levels. Cookies, candy, and pastries are obvious culprits, but there's also sugar in a lot of frozen or processed foods.^{[6]
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- Check the ingredients panel on anything you eat. Keep in mind that you might not see the word "sugar," but you'll see words like "glucose," "fructose," "dextrose," and "sucrose." These are all types of sugar that are frequently found in processed foods.
Tip: Eating fruit when you want to snack on something sweet is a good way to get started reducing your sugar intake.
2
Include cholesterol in your diet so your body can make testosterone more easily. Your body synthesizes testosterone from cholesterol and fat that comes from the foods you eat. The fats and cholesterol from animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy foods, is particularly important to make testosterone.^{[7]
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- While a low-fat or plant-based diet might help you lose weight, limiting your consumption of animal products won't help raise your testosterone levels.
- Some healthy foods you can eat that have the fat and cholesterol your body needs to produce testosterone include lean red meat, seafood, egg yolks, cheese, coconut oil, and dark chocolate.
3
Eat foods fortified with vitamin D to stimulate testosterone production. Your body needs vitamin D to produce testosterone, and if you're not getting enough of it, you may have lower testosterone levels as a result. Unfortunately, it doesn't occur naturally in many foods. However, many foods and drinks, particularly fruit juices and dairy products, have vitamin D added. You can also get vitamin D through cod liver oil supplements.^{[8]
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- Your body naturally produces vitamin D when you go outside in the sun, so spend some time outside whenever you can. Remember to wear sunscreen to protect your skin.
4
Consume foods rich in zinc to support healthy bodily functions. Zinc increases long-term testosterone production, so low levels of zinc can contribute to low levels of testosterone. Foods that are rich in zinc include meat, fish, dairy products, beans, and some nuts and seeds.^{[9]
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- If you're eating a primarily plant-based diet, you might want to consider a zinc supplement. It can be difficult to get enough zinc purely from plants. Talk to your doctor about adding a supplement to your diet.
5
Avoid herbal supplements that aren't proven to affect testosterone. There are many herbal supplements, such as fenugreek, ginkgo biloba, and longjack root, that claim to naturally raise testosterone levels. However, these supplements aren't regulated and haven't been effective at increasing testosterone in scientific studies.^{[10]
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- Supplements with chemicals such as DHEA, androstenedione, and androstenedione are also marketed as products that will help boost your testosterone. However, they typically don't do anything to increase testosterone production, and may actually increase estrogen production.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

When to Seek Medical Care

1
Get your testosterone levels tested if you're worried they're low. Getting your testosterone levels tested is a simple blood test. Your doctor will likely want to perform the test early in the morning because that's when your testosterone levels are highest.^{[12]
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- Wear a short-sleeved shirt when you go for the test so the technician who draws your blood will have easier access to your veins. When your blood is collected, you'll feel a quick pinprick on your skin. You may have some bruising on your arm around the injection site. However, this usually goes away after a couple of days.
- Your blood sample will be sent to a lab and analyzed. You'll likely find out the results of the test in a few days.
Tip: Your doctor may be able to diagnose low testosterone based on a physical exam and discussion of your symptoms. However, they'll still want to take a blood test to confirm the diagnosis and determine exactly how low your levels are.
2
Test your vitamin levels for deficiencies that can affect your testosterone. If your testosterone is low, a vitamin deficiency might be to blame. Vitamin deficiencies can also cause other health problems. Your doctor can test your vitamin levels. You might also want to keep a food diary so you can analyze the nutrients you're getting from food.^{[13]
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- Your doctor can go over your food diary with you and recommend changes that will ensure you're getting adequate nutrition from your food. They might also refer you to a nutritionist.
- Generally, your body absorbs vitamins better from food than from a supplement. However, if you're significantly deficient in a particular nutrient, supplements may be the best way to improve your levels.
3
Talk to your doctor if natural approaches aren't working. It can take some time for changes to your diet and lifestyle to have an effect on your testosterone levels. Don't expect these changes to make a noticeable difference within a few weeks. However, if you've been living a healthy lifestyle for several months and your testosterone levels are still low, your doctor may want to put you on testosterone replacement therapy.^{[14]
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- With this therapy, you're essentially given testosterone. There are several different delivery methods used, including a skin patch, swallowing capsules, and injections. Your doctor may recommend a particular delivery method for you based on your condition.

Warnings

Testosterone replacement therapy, using injections, pellets, patches, or gels, is only appropriate under the supervision of a trained medical professional after an exam and medical diagnosis.^{[17]
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Taking testosterone or other steroid supplements, particularly anabolic steroids, without a prescription and medical supervision is illegal. These treatments also have significant side effects and can be dangerous if not taken properly.^{[18]
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