Given bro, all I'm saying is it's not essential (
as in a MUST have, although it goes a long way) in hormone production. There are alternatives. See the link below, where they explain the effect of fats on hormone production...
www.howtodothings.com/health-fitness/how...crease-male-hormones
There are plenty other articles, journals, studies on this. Here's the jist of this one though...
Your life hormones are very important to overall body regulation and function. When these hormone levels decline, we slip slowly into the downward spiral of aging. But boosting these life hormones can drastically increase the quality of our lives. Aging is inevitable, but looking and feeling old is optional.
Step 2
Forget the Low Fat Myth. Penn State conducted a study looking at the issues of Hormones and Fat intake. They found that subjects who ate a moderate fat diet exhibited higher testosterone levels than the subjects eating low fat - this finding merely confirmed previous studies demonstrating that dietary fat is positively linked with hormone levels.
More impressively, the Penn State researchers showed that the effect of dietary fat on hormone levels depended on the kind of fat consumed. Specifically, they found that monounsaturated and saturated fat raised testosterone levels, but polyunsaturated fat does not.
Other studies confirm these results. For instance, in a 2005 study, "39 middle-aged white, healthy men (50 to 60 yr) were studied while they were consuming their usual high fat, low carbohydrate diet and after 8 weeks modulation to an isocaloric low fat, high carbohydrate diet. The results of the dietary change were a reduction in total Testosterone and free Testosterone and some of the Testosterone precursors."
The researchers concluded, "metabolic clearance rates of Testosterone were not changed and production rates of Testosterone showed a downward trend while on low fat diet modulation. We conclude that reduction in dietary fat intake (and increase in carbohydrate) results in 12% consistent lowering of circulating androgens levels without changing the clearance."
A 1984 study had similar results. The possible effect of dietary fat content and the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P/S-ratio) on serum sex hormones was studied in 30 healthy male volunteers. The customary diet of the subjects, which supplied 40% of energy as fat (mainly from animal sources, P/S-ratio 0.15) was replaced for a 6 weeks period by a practically isocaloric experimental diet containing significantly less fat (25% of energy) with a higher P/S-ratio (1.22) and other environmental factors were stabilized.
As a result of the dietary change, there was a 15% drop in total Testosterone, with corresponding drops in Free Test and androstenedione. The researchers concluded that the results indicate that a decrease in dietary fat content and an increase in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids reduce the serum concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone, and free testosterone.
An interesting 1987 study put men on a high-fat diet (about 50 percent of calories from fat) for 2 weeks, then had them switch to a low-fat diet (about 10 percent fat) for 2 weeks. Their free testosterone--the part that's available for use in building muscle--dropped 21 percent on the low-fat diet.
The overall consensus of these studies and others that could be cited is that low fat diets lower total testosterone and/or free testosterone levels while a moderate to high fat diet raises testosterone levels. This shows that despite the anti-fat message we're bombarded with, it turns out that diets too low in dietary fat are actually harmful to healthy testosterone levels. It is also important to realize not just any fat, but saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) raise testosterone levels. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) do not.
As such, restricting total fat intake--and replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat (exactly what the experts are telling you to do)--would appear to be the perfect prescription for lowering your testosterone levels, thus causing premature aging.
However, it is not necessary to consume a lot of saturated fat. Research shows that men with the highest testosterone levels eat nuts. Yes, monounsaturated fat seems to increase hormone levels, so include nuts, olive oil, canola oil, and peanut butter in your Rejuvenation diets.
Foods high in healthy Omega 3s fatty acids would also be good sources of testosterone-raising fat. The best sources of omega 3s are fatty fish like mackerel, herrings, sardines, tuna, sturgeon, and salmon. But they are also found in plant foods like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, flax seed oil, and canola oil. Keep your consumption of fat--preferably in the form of monounsaturates and omega-3s--up around 35-40 percent, the amount research shows to be optimal for robust testosterone levels.
We can point the so called "Experts" and their low fat propagandists to Penn State studies that show that a high fat, low carbohydrate diet reduced the risk of heart disease by 21%, while a low fat diet reduced it by only 12%; effectively demonstrating that a high fat diet could be the most heart-protective of all. So it is possible to have a healthy, moderate fat diet that increases your energy levels, builds muscle, burns fat, and increases your quality of life.
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