What causes male hormone health risk warning?

The current general consensus in the clinical and sports medicine circles is that more than 90% of health risk warnings for male hormones (core being testosterone) are the result of acquired lifestyle wear and pathological abnormalities. Hypogonadism caused by congenital genetic defects accounts for less than 5%.

The 32-year-old Internet practitioner I was following at the men's department a while ago is a typical example. His physical examination for two consecutive years showed that his total testosterone level was below the lower limit of normal. He waited until he was constantly tired and had a loss of sexual desire before he came to see a doctor. After asking, I found out that he had not been getting enough sleep every day for six consecutive years. For 5 hours, I relied on high-fat and high-sugar takeaways for three meals, and my body fat rate soared to 32%. The aromatase in the fat accumulated in my belly had already converted a large amount of testosterone that should be used by the body into estrogen, which was equivalent to depleting my own hormone reserves.

However, there are different voices in the academic community regarding the trend of male hormone warning groups getting younger and younger in recent years. A group of scholars in the field of reproductive endocrinology believe that the impact of environmental endocrine disruptors may be higher than that of lifestyle-the inferior quality products we use every day Phthalates in plastic lunch boxes, herbicide residues on some fruits and vegetables, and common plasticizers are all estrogen-like ingredients. Long-term low-dose exposure will quietly disrupt the normal operation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis, silently lowering testosterone levels. Of course, this hypothesis currently lacks support from long-term follow-up data for people over 100,000 people, and has not yet been included in the routine clinical trigger list. However, many doctors have begun to call for attention to the impact of such substances on the reproductive health of young and middle-aged men.

Of course, we cannot blame all problems on living habits or external environment, and pathological triggers must not be missed. Last year I met a 28-year-old fitness instructor. His body fat rate is maintained between 7% and 9% all year round. His diet and rest routine are as regular as a set alarm clock. He doesn’t smoke or drink. However, it was found that free testosterone was less than half of the normal lower limit. After a subsequent cranial MRI, it was discovered that it was There is a 3 mm microadenoma growing on the pituitary gland, which compresses the gonadotropin secretion pathway. Although the proportion of this organic disease is not high, as long as there is an unexplained sudden drop in testosterone, the first priority is to investigate the disease first, and do not blindly supplement testosterone or blindly increase strength training.

In fact, the male gonadal axis is like a sophisticated water supply system. The hypothalamus is the main gate that controls water discharge, the pituitary gland is the water pump, and the testicles are the final faucet for water discharge. Whether the gate is blocked by staying up late, eating high sugar, or the water pump is blocked by a tumor. If you cannot turn, or if "impurities" such as environmental hormones enter the water pipe and block the passage, it will eventually lead to insufficient testosterone for the body to use. The health warning at this time is that the body is shouting "insufficient water supply, repair quickly." Don't take it seriously.