How to Manage Testosterone and Estrogen in Athletes

Jan. 21, 2018

Dr. Ben House, PhD. is a Nutritionist (CN), Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) practitioner, and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (CFMP), as well as a strength coach and the owner of Functional Medicine Costa Rica.  He has a passion for researching, writing, and teaching, and hosts professional and wellness retreats in the Jungle of Uvita, Costa Rica.

Today Ben is talking with Dr. Tommy Wood, MD, PhD, about his pragmatic approach to health coaching and training. They discuss testosterone, estrogen, ketosis, and building strength, muscle mass and resilience.  They also share problem-solving strategies for helping clients who aren’t making the progress they want.

In the intro, I also mentioned our new Blood Chemistry Calculator that utilizes a machine learning algorithm and blood chemistry data from 36,000 people. This is a powerful tool that can help identify your specific health challenges without directly testing for them, pointing you more squarely in the direction of your health and performance goals.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Dr Ben House:

[00:00:42] Dr. Ruscio’s Podcast: Adrenal Testing, Mitochondrial Health, Testosterone, Stress, Calories, Body Comp, and Much More with Dr. Ben House.

[00:01:35] Background.

[00:02:18] Coeliac disease.

[00:04:17] Podcast: How to Create Behaviour Change, with Simon Marshall, PhD.

[00:05:24] Retreats in Costa Rica.

[00:06:17] Study: Trexler, Eric T., et al. "Fat-Free Mass Index in NCAA Division I and II Collegiate American Football Players." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 31.10 (2017): 2719-2727.

[00:07:48] Strength in the endurance athlete.

[00:09:40] Testosterone.

[00:11:26] Exercised induced hypogonadal male.

[00:12:23] GNRH. Study: Bergendahl, Matti, and Johannes D. Veldhuis. "Altered pulsatile gonadotropin signaling in nutritional deficiency in the male." Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism 6.5 (1995): 145-159.

[00:12:48] Physicians for Ancestral Health.

[00:13:56] Undereating.

[00:14:08] Acromegaly.

[00:14:39] Optimal foraging theory.

[00:15:55] Getting in the calories on a minimally processed diet.

[00:18:31] Low WBC.

[00:20:45] 100% meat diet.

[00:21:41] Scurvy.

[00:21:50] Shawn Baker, MD, nequalsmany.com.

[00:23:02] Consistency.

[00:24:05] Study: Travison, Thomas G., et al. "Temporal trends in testosterone levels and treatment in older men." Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity 16.3 (2009): 211-217.

[00:24:39] How testosterone is made.

[00:26:19] Heartmath, float tank.

[00:26:50] Traumatic Brain Injury.

[00:27:13] Varicocele.

[00:29:17] Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

[00:30:05] Studies: Finkelstein, Joel S., et al. "Gonadal steroids and body composition, strength, and sexual function in men." New England Journal of Medicine 369.11 (2013): 1011-1022, and Chao, Jing, et al. "Short-Term Estrogen Withdrawal Increases Adiposity in Healthy Men." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 101.10 (2016): 3724-3731.

[00:31:29] Oestrogen.

[00:32:40] Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH); also see Podcast: How to Get Deep Insights on Hormones and Their Metabolism, with Mark Newman.

[00:33:55] Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG).

[00:34:17] Albumin.

[00:34:26] Megalin.

[00:36:58] Looking at sleep, training program.

[00:38:28] Bryan Walsh.

[00:39:29] Mass2 training protocol.

[00:40:01] Dopamine.

[00:43:23] Finding a training program.

[00:45:19] Gut infections: Cryptosporidium, Giardia.

[00:46:29] Practitioner training.

[00:47:58] Pseudoscience.

[00:48:51] Building credibility.

[00:50:16] Chris Kresser.

[00:51:24] Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck.

[00:52:45] Ben on Facebook.

[00:52:58] Retreats.

[00:54:52] Ben’s website.

[00:55:13] Study: Brinkworth, Grant D., et al. "Long-term effects of a very-low-carbohydrate weight loss diet compared with an isocaloric low-fat diet after 12 mo." The American journal of clinical nutrition 90.1 (2009): 23-32.

[00:56:36] Jeff Volek.

[00:57:05] Keto for women.

[00:58:15] Fat and CHO PTSD.

[00:58:43] Podcast: The Most Reliable Way to Lose Weight, with Dr. Tommy Wood.

[01:00:20] Tracking basal body temp.

[01:00:35] Study: Pontzer, Herman, et al. "Constrained total energy expenditure and metabolic adaptation to physical activity in adult humans." Current Biology 26.3 (2016): 410-417.

[01:02:19] Podcast with Ryan Baxter: How to Fuel For Your Sport (with Obstacle Course Racing as an Example).

[01:03:16] How much can you eat?