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According to new research, the amount of testosterone in men is largely determined by the environment in which you grow up.
“Survival at the expense of testosterone”
The differences in testosterone levels are often attributed to genes and sometimes race. However, the new research shows that a physically challenging or healthy environment has a greater influence. An environment where your body often deals with infectious diseases, for example, results in lower testosterone levels than a healthier environment. According to researchers at Durham University, the body in these conditions should allocate more resources/energy to survive. This would come at the expense of testosterone levels.
The study was conducted among men from Bangladesh, both a group raised in Great Britain and a group of (relatively affluent) men raised in Bangladesh. The research revealed that men raised in Great Britain had significantly higher levels of testosterone. The men raised in Great Britain also reached puberty earlier and were taller.
For the study, a distinction was made between different groups:
- Men who emigrated from Bangladesh to Great Britain as children
- Men who emigrated from Bangladesh to Great Britain as adults
- Second-generation Bangladeshis in Great Britain
- British men of European descent
This allowed researchers to examine the role of the environment on testosterone at a certain age and compare it with the influence of genes (by also comparing with Europeans).
Testosterone. Hate it or love it
We often write here about the influence of nutrition, supplements, or habits on testosterone. We often seek a positive effect on testosterone levels. This is because we mainly focus on a single property of testosterone: its stimulating effect on muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are often used to artificially elevate this hormone to unnatural levels.
However, high levels of testosterone can also have adverse effects. Such as an increased risk of prostate enlargement and cancer. Too low levels can cause other symptoms such as decreased libido. Therefore, this research aimed to gain more clarity about the factors influencing testosterone and the age at which this influence is greatest.
The research found that the environment had a greater influence on testosterone than genes or race. However, this influence was limited to youth. After the age of 19, this influence disappeared.
References
- Childhood ecology influences salivary testosterone, pubertal age and stature of Bangladeshi UK migrant menKesson Magid, Robert T. Chatterton Farid Uddin Ahamed5 and Gillian R. Bentley
