Much has changed in health and wellness over the past 100 years with many significant advances in diagnosis and treatment.
With time, we come to understand more about exactly how nutrition and lifestyle can positively and negatively impact our health. We are all trying to make changes to prevent disease and promote wellness. As a result of these developments, life expectancy is also changing, rising slowly but steadily. One thing, though, has not changed — the gender gap. People of both sexes are living longer, but decade after decade, women continue to outpace men.
The Global Men’s Health Crisis
The Who Report in 2019, showed that there is not one country in the world where men outlive women. The average lifespan is about 5 years longer for women than men in the U.S. On the other hand, about 7 years longer worldwide.
Differing attitudes to healthcare between men and women, help to account for the discrepancy in life expectancy between the sexes. It is suggested by a report. The long-standing belief is that men should be strong and self-reliant (and slow to show emotion). It is literally killing them years earlier than their female counterparts. This correlation isn’t obviously directly linked to low testosterone issues. But, it does provide alarming insights into the health gap between men and women.
Most importantly it shines a spotlight on the outdated attitudes that men can’t seek help for their personal health issues. These issues are like fertility and testosterone deficiency. Both of which are in the worst state of health than they have ever been historically.
The modern issues with an age-old subject (low testosterone)
As testosterone is still unhelpfully considered the chemical symbol of masculinity for centuries now, it’s not really surprising that talking about a lack of it is considered taboo. These beliefs are deep rooted and unfortunately incredibly unhelpful to the modern men. It’s proving to have negative impacts on hormonal health with testosterone levels declining across the world in each generation.
The trend towards rapidly declining testosterone levels
According to research, men’s testosterone levels have dropped at least 20% in the last 20 years with more and more younger men are suffering the effects of low testosterone.
This is not a new trend. Seventy-year-old men in 1987-89 had an average testosterone level that was almost 100 points higher than even 55-year-old men in 2002-04. Meaning that the average 22 year old man today, has an average testosterone level roughly equal to that of a 67 year old man in 2000. Therefore, it’s likely that your testosterone levels are likely to be half of those of your father and undoubtedly significantly less than your grandfather.
With this in mind if testosterone levels decline naturally as we age, these statistics should have remained constant over time. But we know that they aren’t. Far from it. The negative trend seems to be getting worse and happening to men at much younger ages than ever before.
Testosterone plays a crucial role in men’s health!
We know that like women, men suffer age related decline in hormone levels. However the evidence points to the significant testosterone deficiency over time is more impacted by men’s behavioural and health changes than by aging. In particular obesity and medications being the most direct causes.
External toxins are also wreaking havoc with male hormones.
Chemicals (including parabens and phthalates) in our environment are disrupting our hormonal balance. They cause various degrees of reproductive havoc on a daily basis. These are called hormone or endocrine disrupting chemicals – also known as EDC’s.
They are undoubtedly playing a role in testosterone levels declining at 10% per decade. This decline has gone hand in hand with sperm health which has taken a similar negative trajectory with very worrying predictions for the next generation.
Only this week (March 2021), leading Epidemiologist Shanna Swan published a book outlining the serious global decline in male fertility stating that;
“The current state of reproductive affairs can’t continue much longer without threatening human survival” she writes in Count Down.
It comes after a study she co-authored in 2017 found that sperm counts in the west had plummeted by 59% between 1973 and 2011. Swan concluded that testosterone and sperm health are presenting major public health issues and should be treated as such.
MEN NEED TO PRIORITISE THEIR HORMONAL HEALTH IN THE SAME WAY THAT WOMEN DO
It’s a well-known fact that hormonal health supports the long-term goal of longevity, disease prevention, and overall wellness. Yet men struggle to relate directly to their hormonal health. Why? As women, we naturally accept that our hormones impact just about every aspect of our lives. From mood, to libido, to weight and energy levels, from our hair, skin to bones, we know and understand that our hormones impact how we look and feel on a daily basis.
Crucially though - and revealing the crux of the issues driving lack of awareness about men’s hormonal health - women have received encouragement to talk openly about their hormonal health challenges and to seek help when needed. It’s quite the opposite for men and still a cultural taboo for men. As a hormonal health expert, I believe that women will play a pivotal role in helping the men in our lives, whether that be our brother, boyfriend, husband or dad, understand more about their hormonal health and educate them about why it’s so important to discuss this subject.
Popular Example To Consider:
Recently, Kim Kardashian credits herself with spotting the signs of TD in sister Courtney’s on / off partner Scott Disick. Having taken Kim’s advice, the 37-year-old was diagnosed last year with Testosterone Deficiency which he is supporting naturally.
“Lately, I’ve just had no energy to do anything. I wake up and I’m just shot. I don’t have the drive to get up and run around with my girlfriend and my kids. I just don’t have the energy. I don’t know if I’m getting old or I’m just not in great shape, but I just want to see if there’s anything wrong with me.”
Sound familiar? Most men and women can relate to this.
While people have been encouraging women to take care of themselves for many years now, they have not encouraged men. It’s now time that this outdated attitude changes and quickly.
Taking Control of Your Hormones Naturally and Fight Low Testosterone
My role as Head of Nutrition and CEO of DNA, is to constantly monitor the latest research and science to ensure we can meet the needs of modern men. We dedicate ourselves to raising awareness of Testosterone Deficiency, Low T and Andropause through our pioneering range of 100% natural powdered food supplements.
Our team design the world first products to support each and every man through the stages of testosterone decline. We ensure they have a safe space to talk about the very thing, testosterone, that makes them men in the first place. DNA’s symptoms checker will help men understand their hormonal health status and our site offers a wealth of information on latest ways men can bio hack their testosterone levels with testosterone booster naturally.
We all know how prevention is better than a cure.
If you have any questions about testosterone, andropause and it’s symptoms then please comment on this post or send us a private message via our website.
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