i've heard several people reference some random study showing that viewing P increases Testosterone (T), but this strikes me as very odd, and maybe a problem. my understanding is that T exists to enact a job, it doesnt float around willy nilly per se, but it is produced for the job it is there to do. Insulin for example delivers glucose and amino acids to various parts of the body in response to high(er) blood glucose, and then when the glucose problem is solved insulin is no longer needed so goes back down to background levels. I read that protein consumption after a workout decreases testosterone, which to me suggests that you've supplied the T with the raw materials it sought to work with, similar to insulin, and the job is done. this matches well with my experience as a good meaty day after workout usually means faster recovery. what then does it mean exactly that T is increased by a thing? what if viewing P somehow removes from our body the NEED for T so there it sits floating around, as shitfless as we...
Dorian Wilson put together an amazing video-essay on testosterone that should answer at least some of your questions: Trust me, it's worth the 45-minute watch. I wouldn't trust a "random study" with anything. Good scientific studies are peer-reviewed and their results replicated by a second (or third) party. A citation is required as is close scrutiny of this "study." (Wilson, by the way, continually cites studies in his essay. It's solid.)
There's no 'right' amount of T, the average level of testosterone in the bloodstream differs from one man to the other. As long as you don't experience any health issues related to your testosterone level, you're good to go. No need to be obsessed about that stuff.
That looks like an unknown. T's role in growth of tissue like muscle seems to be somewhat understood. But as you say, it would be very weird if your body tried to build muscle because you looked at pornos recently! Researchers do believe that T has another job in the body, relating to sexuality, but what it is exactly is a mystery as far as I can tell. I found a study that might be the one you referenced. This is their commentary on the "why" question : (Pirke 1974) Too bad! However, there are some answers in animal studies: (ball and balthazart 2004) Pretty vague but this is the best I could find. We still know very little about the chemistry of behavior.
this is the thing: naturally, your testosterone levels are constantly fluctuating. whatever increase you get in testosterone from watching porn will last maybe 30 minutes and is completely meaningless. whether or not it even exists in the first place is debated, but even if it does, it's inconsequential. and in the long run, the cortisol increase you get when you have to live life with the stress of an addiction will actually be doing harm to your baseline testosterone levels. the study you mentioned about protein consumption after a workout decreasing testosterone doesn't exist. however, there is a meta-analysis (people looking at a bunch of studies that have already been done) that looked at Low Carbohydrate diets and High Carbohydrate diets (they used 35% carbs as the line between the two) and compared the levels of cortisol and testosterone post-workout. They did find that high protein, low carbohydrate diets had higher cortisol levels and lower testosterone levels after workouts. the difference was statistically significant but not actually all that much in a physiological sense. also important to note that the studies that drew this conclusion have a small sample size (<30 people). BUT, now it gets complicated and quite confusing. the meta analysis chalked up the increased cortisol (and resulting decreased test) to the fact that the body was adjusting to the change in diet. the studies were using a short-term Low Carb, High Protein diet intervention. The study says that: "The increase in cortisol during the first 3 weeks of a LC diet is likely part of the adaption process to such diets, and thus may not represent a pathological state. The results indicate cortisol returns to baseline levels after ∼3 weeks, suggesting cardiovascular disease risk is not elevated by higher cortisol on long LC diets." yeah. fucking weird... it's a really long read, if u want to look into it. but, ultimately, the simple conclusion that "eating protein after a workout decreases testosterone" is a kind of inaccurate. plus, if you want to build muscle, protein after a workout is like literally the bare minimum. the tl;dr would be that most "increases" and "decreases" in testosterone from these kinds of things are not anything that's going to have a major physiological impact, and that's because natural testosterone levels are constantly fluctuating no matter what in order for the body to maintain homeostasis throughout the day. oh, and the thing about masturbation increasing test is just stupid lmao. edit: i was wrong. there's actually a study on protein/carb ratios and the impact on testosterone but the sample size is 7 people lol. make of that what you will
a temporary increase in testosterone won't do anything because the construction of new muscle proteins actually takes time, so you won't get any anabolism from 30 minutes with elevated levels. actual testosterone is manufactured with esters to make blood serum testosterone levels more stable, because that's when actual anabolism (and any benefit from testosterone) occurs. also, stress increases cortisol (kinda obv) and cortisol reduces testosterone (also obv)... what part of this do you want me to support with evidence.
There are so much things that can increase testosterone , especially sungazing and fasting . I actually did a test on testosterone and after I did all that my testosterone increased from 500+ and something to 900+ and something Testosterone is just one of masculine hormones . Yes it is important to have it to some degree , but it is not most important thing in the world . Too much testosterone can have harmful effects , like losing hair in early age . And just because a person has a high testosterone , doesn't means a person is going to behave masculine . It is just one of hormones and nothing more
sounds like i should just stick with weight training and then eating some good protein after. instead of.... something different
