Free Testosterone Levels Get DESTROYED On Keto And Carnivore Diets!? BLOOD WORK ANALYSIS

Hormone Levels and Diet

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of acknowledging free testosterone levels relative to total testosterone levels. He notes that many people in the keto and carnivore communities hyper-focus on total testosterone levels while ignoring sky-high SHBG levels that are common in their blood work.

Free Testosterone vs Total Testosterone

• The speaker notes that his progesterone and prolactin levels are normal, but his free and total testosterone levels are low.

• He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging free testosterone levels relative to total testosterone levels.

• The speaker observes a trend in the keto and carnivore communities where there is a hyper-focus on total testosterone levels while ignoring sky-high SHBG levels that are common in their blood work.

• He notes that too much or too little of anything is not good, and there needs to be a sweet spot for optimal performance versus longevity.

• The speaker highlights how some people overlook free androgens, which are actually bioavailable to tissues to do their job.

Blood Work Examples

• The speaker commends some individuals for showing their blood work regardless of whether it's in favor of their diet practices or not.

• He provides an example of Ben Greenfield, a popular biohacker who used to do competitive iron man's and low carb dieting. In 2017, he had hypo-gonadal total testosterone (225), but after stopping intense competitions by September 2018, his total T jumped up to 881. However, his SHBG level was worse at 84 than before (79), leaving his free T at 78.5.

Evaluating Hormone Profiles on a Carnivore Diet

In this section, the speaker evaluates the hormone profiles of two individuals who follow a carnivore diet.

Shawn Baker's Blood Work

• After 12 weeks of strict carnivore diet, Shawn Baker had a 33 estradiol, less than 0.2 luteinizing hormone, 79.8 free testosterone, 841 total T and a 63 shbg.

• Even though his total testosterone is good, his free testosterone is in the toilet due to high SHBG levels.

• The ratio of actual free androgen to free estrogen is very suboptimal in this case.

Criticisms of Shawn Baker's Blood Test Results

• Shawn Baker has been criticized heavily for his brutal blood test results.

• He is clinically hypogonadal with only 237 nanogram per deciliter total testosterone and a 5.5 [ __ ] gram per milliliter free testosterone using an immunoassay for determining what it was as far as the assay that was used.

• Everything is just in the toilet so it's not really a good reference point anyways.

Sensitivity to Receptors on Carnivore Diet

• A lot of people are seeing their testosterone rise initially on a carnivorous diet but long term they become sensitized to their receptors becoming extremely sensitive.

• This may be running in a lower background level but having the same clinical effect might even be more efficient way to do things.

• Things like carnosine features have heavily increased androgen receptor sensitivity.

Clinical Testosterone Function

In this section, the speaker talks about how certain things can increase androgen receptor sensitivity. He also discusses his own testosterone function and shares an example of someone who recorded their progress on a carnivore diet.

Androgen Receptor Sensitivity

• Certain things have been shown to dramatically increase the androgen receptor sensitivity.

Speaker's Testosterone Function

• The speaker is strong, big, has a lot of muscle mass, and continues to put on muscle mass and strength.

• The speaker wakes up every day with an erection.

Example: Carnivore Diet Progress

• Carnivore Curt recorded his progress on a carnivore diet and had very extensive blood test results to evaluate his before-and-afters.

• After starting carnivore, Curt's testosterone got nuked in just six months. His free testosterone and total testosterone were pretty low.

• Curt's testosterone ratio was less than 1% as free due to high SHBG levels binding up the free androgens. His DHT was also low.

How I Tripled My Testosterone in Three Weeks on the Carnivore Diet

In this section, the speaker talks about how he tripled his testosterone in three weeks on the carnivore diet.

Increasing Testosterone on Carnivore Diet

• The speaker increased calories and added more than one meal a day for three weeks while on the carnivore diet.

Low Testosterone and Carnivore Diet

In this section, the speaker discusses his low testosterone levels and how he increased them through a carnivore diet.

Increasing Testosterone Levels

• The speaker increased his total testosterone from 315 to over 910 in less than four weeks by increasing his calorie intake.

• Caloric restriction can be great for longevity but depriving oneself of energy can make it harder to produce sex hormones.

• While the increase in total testosterone was significant, the free and SHBG levels were still suboptimal.

Carnivore Diet and Hormone Balance

• The speaker's carnivore diet did not help him reach optimal endocrine balance.

• Pursuing a carnivore diet may not be helpful for maximizing testosterone levels.

Blood Test Results Update

In this section, the speaker provides an update on his blood test results after following a carnivore diet for 12 months.

Hormone Panel Results

• The speaker's estradiol level is high, which could be due to aromatization caused by high testosterone levels.

• His DHEA-S level is also high, which could indicate adrenal gland issues or supplement use.

• The free testosterone level has improved but is still suboptimal compared to SHBG levels.

Nutrient Deficiencies

• The speaker's nutrient deficiencies have improved since starting the carnivore diet.

• He no longer has vitamin D or B12 deficiencies but still has low folate levels.

Conclusion

• The speaker concludes that while the carnivore diet has helped with nutrient deficiencies, it may not be optimal for hormone balance.

Estradiol Levels and SHBG

In this section, the speaker discusses estradiol levels and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in relation to testosterone production and performance optimization.

Estradiol Levels

• Estradiol levels are important for proper aroma taste expression and hepatic clearance of estrogen.

• Total testosterone proportionally relative to tissue-specific levels is important for accurate measurement of what's going on in the heart or brain.

• 11 picograms per milliliter is like cardiotoxic estradiol levels.

• A healthy male should not have menopausal level estradiol at 11.

• Testosterone sensitivity may increase on a carnivore diet, so less testosterone may be needed.

SHBG

• Percent free testosterone should be optimal for performance optimization.

• SHBG is correlated with insulin sensitivity, so lower insulin levels due to a carnivore diet can affect anabolic-related processes downstream.

• Higher SHBG is better for maximizing performance, but there's a sweet spot for every person.

• An optimal percentage of freely available tissues is necessary for performance optimization.

• A high SHBG level is not good for males trying to maximize performance.

• Paul Saladino had high SHBG as well, which he improved by adding boron to his diet.

SHBG and Testosterone Levels

In this section, the speakers discuss sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and testosterone levels. They talk about how high SHBG is consistent with most people's blood work during carnivore diets. The speakers also discuss the importance of reference ranges for testosterone levels.

High vs Low SHBG

• There are two differentials of SHBG: high and low.

• A low SHBG is associated with hyperthyroidism and insulin resistance.

• A high SHBG is associated with hypothyroidism or insulin sensitivity.

• Free hormones may be active hormones, so it's important to consider how much free hormone is bound up by SHBG.

Reference Ranges for Testosterone

• Total testosterone outside the reference range can cause symptoms like erectile dysfunction or low libido.

• Women have different reference ranges for testosterone, but they can also experience low libido related to low testosterone.

• It's important to differentiate between literal hypogonadism and optimization with SHBG when considering reference ranges for testosterone.

Optimizing Hormone Levels

• High levels of SHBG may not be optimal for longevity versus performance on a carnivore or keto diet.

• Supplementation of boron or other methods may be necessary to get enough free testosterone proportionally to total testosterone in order to maximize performance.

Anecdotal Case Reports and Testosterone

In this section, the speaker discusses anecdotal case reports and the need for further elucidation on the SHBG portion and testosterone.

Anecdotal Case Reports

• The speaker mentions that there are anecdotal case reports that suggest positive effects.

• However, he emphasizes the need for further research to fully understand the impact of these reports.

SHBG Portion and Testosterone

• The speaker believes that more attention should be given to the SHBG portion and testosterone.

• He suggests that experts in the community should focus on analyzing blood tests related to this topic.

Conclusion and Call-to-Action

In this section, the speaker concludes his video and provides a call-to-action for his viewers.

Conclusion

• The speaker thanks his viewers for watching.

• He encourages them to like, subscribe, and check out his blog at moreplatesmoredates.com.

Call-to-Action

• The speaker invites viewers to support his channel by checking out products he is affiliated with in the video description below.

• He also promotes his turnkey nootropic and pre-workout formulas which he developed himself.

• Viewers can follow him on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, or listen to his podcast called "The Table Podcasts".

Blog Articles

• The speaker informs viewers about blog articles which are far more elaborate than videos.

• These articles have concise subsections with table of contents citations hyperlinked for readers to delve into clinical studies referenced further themselves.