Back in the 90s, testosterone supplements were in the same class as breast growers and instant slimming pills; basically the group of products that are never proven to work and are only bought by gullible men and women who have too much time in front of the TV.
Now, with the most recent advancements in supplement research, testosterone supplements are the fastest-growing segment in the supplement market.
What has changed in the last 30 years?
Back in the 90s, people do not have access to information like we do today. No one had the capability to research and compare products, and it wasn’t until you have actually tried the product that you’d learn that it doesn’t work.
There were no social media, and people had no way of warning other potential customers about the product. Companies back then had the luxury of their customers believing everything that they say.
Now, things have changed entirely. The speed and scope of information you get from the internet are astounding. You can learn everything there is to know about a product or ingredient with a few taps on your keyboard.
It’s easy to support or disprove any claim that supplement companies might have with their product, and if all of those fail, there are social media and customer reviews that would give you a much better understanding of the product that you’re interested in.
Customers are getting smarter by the day, and supplement companies had to keep up with their customers. It essentially forced supplement companies to come up with real supplement products that deliver genuine results.
In the last 10 years, we’ve seen a torrent of interest in the testosterone supplement segment. Hundreds of researchers looked into the ingredients and technologies needed to produce real results.
Significant developments were coming from India, China, Germany, and the United States about the viability of using testosterone supplements to address the performance needs of men.
It didn’t take too long for supplement companies to start creating products that worked. These days, you wouldn’t see a testosterone supplement product that scored poorly across the board. There’s always some level of benefit that testosterone boosters provide, and now it has become a competition to see which brand can come up with the strongest testosterone-boosting supplement.
How Testosterone Supplements work
Testosterone enhancement is a complicated process that involves increasing testosterone production through the use of natural ingredients. On the surface, it looks quite simple – just pick the right ingredients, and wait for it to work.
Simple, right? It’s not.
Testosterone is regulated by a delicate balance called the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This makes sure that you maintain just the right amount of testosterone in your body. Low testosterone triggers the axis to increase testosterone production, and high testosterone stops testosterone production.
The problem starts when the body only maintains low testosterone levels; levels too low that it affects your sex life, muscle growth, strength, and confidence. This is where testosterone supplements come in.
Testosterone supplements help increase testosterone production to get your testosterone levels back up. This is naturally done by stimulating the Leydig cells to produce more testosterone instead of waiting on the axis to trigger testosterone production.
Most testosterone supplements stop at this point in the process since it can already increase testosterone levels. However, increasing testosterone levels without the right safety parameters would be a huge health risk for the user.
Unchecked testosterone enhancement could lead to a buildup of estrogen and dihydrotestosterone. The body naturally converts testosterone to estrogen and dihydrotestosterone as a part of maintaining hormonal balance. Too much testosterone leads to increased levels of hydrogen and dihydrotestosterone, which could cause serious health problems.
Increased estrogen will counteract the androgenic effects of testosterone. It can cause erectile dysfunction, poor libido, mood swings, and even breast growth. The abnormal buildup of estrogen will likely cause even more severe problems for the user as it will disrupt the natural hormone balance of the body.
Dihydrotestosterone buildup will likely cause side effects as well. Testosterone is degraded to dihydrotestosterone through the 5alpha-reductase enzyme, and this leads to more serious side effects if left unchecked.
DHT is a potent androgenic. It can increase libido and sexual performance, but it can also cause male-pattern baldness, prostate growth, and even prostate cancer – and nobody wants that.
The best testosterone supplements incorporate a fail-safe formula that uses ingredients that prevent these side effects. These formulas use compounds that inhibit cortisol and the 5alpha reductase and aromatase enzymes to prevent the buildup of testosterone metabolites.
By inhibiting the enzymes, testosterone supplements can virtually increase testosterone production and build up the results over time.
Testosterone Supplements vs Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone replacement therapy is a medical treatment that artificially increases testosterone levels through the use of compounds that mimic the effects of testosterone. It’s a high-risk treatment that has the potential to rapidly increase testosterone levels, but its effect can also shut down the body’s natural testosterone production.
The intrusion of high doses of testosterone shuts down the body’s natural testosterone production. This could lead to gonadal atrophy, impotence, and erectile dysfunction.
This could also cause an increase in estrogen and DHT in the process. Since TRT is quite risky, it’s intended to be prescribed only to patients with the most severe manifestations of low testosterone levels. However, lax regulations allow doctors to prescribe TRT to unqualified patients, allowing them to abuse the treatment without fully understanding the risks involved.
Doctors may have patients on shifting treatments to wean off the effects of TRT and recover using a human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) treatment to stimulate the testes and allow the Leydig cells to naturally produce testosterone again. The cycle of TRT and HCG may create a chronic dependency on the treatment, which is something that very few patients realize.
Unlike TRT, testosterone supplements do not require a prescription. You are free to buy testosterone supplements online as you please, and it does not involve the same risks compared to TRTs. Testosterone supplements do not disable the body’s ability to produce testosterone.
Instead, it helps stimulate testosterone production and reduce the conversion of testosterone to help increase total and free testosterone levels. You can start and stop testosterone supplements as you please, and you won’t have to worry about getting an additional supplement or treatment just to be safe.
TRT has the upper hand when it comes to the speed and delivery of testosterone. The treatment can produce significant results in just a week of taking the treatment, while testosterone supplements would need at least a month to observe significant results.
Still, this does not mean that testosterone supplements are less effective than TRTs. For one, TRTs do not incorporate other performance-enhancing factors such as vasodilation and cognitive performance.
The best testosterone-boosting supplements use vasodilators, mood enhancers, stress busters, and more to create a more comprehensive performance-boosting experience.
What should you look for in a testosterone supplement?
By now you have a basic understanding of what testosterone does, and what to look for when buying testosterone supplements. Testosterone supplements are not the same, and it would be smart to compare and weigh your options before zeroing in on a product.
Here are some things you should look for when buying testosterone supplements:
Ingredients
A quick Google search will tell you all you need to know about a supplement ingredient. Better yet, it’s a good sign if a supplement product is able to discuss the ingredients in a manner that is both scientifically accurate and easy to understand.
This shows just how much the company has invested in the formula, and that they want customers to understand what their formula is all about.
Dosage
Ingredients are nothing without the right dosage. Make sure that the ingredients match the actual dosage as described in the scientific studies if you come across any.
In any case, when it comes to supplements, more is always better. Go with the supplement that offers you the heftiest dosage and the best ingredients.
Company reputation
You wouldn’t want to do business with a company that has a bad rep. Do a quick Google search and see what their customers say about the company. You can count on unsatisfied customers to air out their problems online.
Consumer trust
What do their customers think about the product? Read customer reviews and blogs about the product to know more about what the product is all about. These first-hand experiences from real customers would give you a deeper insight into the product.
Money-back guarantee
It’s hard to imagine that with all the advancements in technology that a satisfaction guarantee is still not standard among male enhancement supplements. Always go with the brand that offers a more robust money-back guarantee.
Such guarantees will tell you two very important things – one, how confident the brand is about their product, and two, how protected you are in case things don’t go as planned.
Conclusion
The industry has come a long way from being filled with scam products to one of the biggest segments in the industry.
The truth is, there is a bigger chance that you’d come across a testosterone booster that works instead of coming across with one that doesn’t. Consumers are smarter now, and companies know that there’s no point in selling fake products anymore.
Testosterone supplements remain to be the safest and most practical and effective way to gain optimal testosterone levels. TRT is intended only to treat severe cases of hypogonadism, and you’re better off going with a testosterone-boosting method that is both safe and effective.
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