top of page
Writer's pictureD'Andre Ricks

Testosterone & Pesticides

Croplife Australia states that $17 billion worth of crops grown in Australia a year is attributed to agricultural pesticides?


Did you know that Pesticides have a direct affect on testosterone?


Testosterone is produced in the testis and suppression of levels of testosterone results in low sperm count. Testosterone has been declining since the 1950s by 1% every year which is quite scary and men need healthy ranges of testosterone to thrive. Without it we will have lower sex drive, muscle mass, motivation, increased levels of depression and reduced memory. It is what makes us a man.


Men with lower testosterone are often overweight and as a result have lower levels of Sex hormone binding globulin which transports sexual hormones like testosterone through the blood stream. Estrogen is mostly stored and produced in fat cells and although it is required for men, too much can actually cause depression, autoimmune disease, infertility and erectile dysfunction.


Xenoestrogens are misinterpreted by your body as hormones so when our body is exposed to them, our body thinks it is producing more estrogen then it actually is. As a result, our body stops producing as much testosterone, increasing inflammation and decreasing testosterone in turn, creating a viscous cycle of making us gain weight and therefore more difficult to increase testosterone and easier to increase estrogen.


Xenoestrogens are everywhere, clothing, food colouring, Tupperware, plastic bottles, make up, birth control pills and the list goes on. But the most alarming thing is that it is in many processed foods and is what is sprayed on some vegetables and fruit as a pesticide.


More pesticides such as dimethoate, carbamates, pyrethroids, organophosphatases, Thio-and dithiocarbamates, chlorphenoxy acids and chlormethylphosporic acids and many more have also been found to reduce testosterone concentration in males.


So next time you grab a vegetable or fruit, maybe give it a wash and opt for the ceramics or metal instead of the plastics. Your kids will thank you for it.


https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-019-1870-6

https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.96104s474




4 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page