Common Male Health Risks

Men are notorious for neglecting their health. For the most part of their lives, men eat what they want, when they want it and seem to face no consequences for it. What they do not realize is that this youthful freedom has a heavy price-tag to pay as they get older. The consequences of all your health habits seem to catch up with you when you’re older but it’s not too late to change! You can break the bad habits and replace them with a better lifestyle. Let’s look at the 4 most common health risks for men and what you can do to prevent them even now.

1.      Prostate Cancer: The #1 cancer among men and one that often goes undetected is prostate cancer. Early detection makes treatment far more effective. That’s why men need to get annual prostate examinations after age 40. Eating well and exercising are the best ways to ward off prostate cancer.

2.      Low Testosterone: Testosterone naturally decreases with age and that is not a disease because it does not drop below the minimum levels. For some men, testosterone levels do drop too much and this causes marked changes in body structure, libido and mood. Sometimes testosterone replacement therapy is advised. But you can keep your testosterone levels up by taking natural supplements like Ageless Male that contains the extract of the fenugreek seed called Testofen. Many Ageless Male testimonials have found this to be effective in increasing levels of free testosterone.

3.      Heart Disease: Another disease that is affected by your diet and exercise plan is heart disease. While it can be genetic, men who eat more grains and lean meat are less likely to develop it. Smoking is a habit you must do away with for better heart health. Smoking reduces your ability to do enough exercise and endangers the heart in many ways.

4.      Colon Cancer: Like prostate cancer, early detection of colon cancer can leave the patient cancer-free. Screening for this cancer should begin at age 50. Doing a little research into colon-friendly foods might pay off well in the future.

Habits that are hurting your health

·         Smoking

·         Drinking

·         Working out less than 3 times a week

·         Eating fast food often

·         Drinking soda often

·         Eating processed food often

·         Never getting a physical evaluation or general health check-up

Habits that can help improve your health

·         Working out 4 times a week

·         Eating less processed food and more whole grain products

·         Drinking a lot of water

·         Getting 8 hours of sleep

·         Getting screened for prostate and colon cancer regularly

Finding ways to stay fit is not difficult and it pays off in so many ways. Not only will you reduce the risk of the diseases above but you also lower your health insurance premium. It all starts with the right mind-set. Be willing to change old habits and ask your family to help you make new ones. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help. You can be an inspiration to them to live healthier. 

Understanding DHEA and its side-effects

Many of us know the name DHEA but have no idea that it stands for dehydroepiandrosterone. DHEA is a hormone. There are quite a few hormones in the human body but we’re more familiar with testosterone and estrogen. A hormone is a organic compound that the body uses to regulate different organs. One hormone usually does more than one task in the body. Hormones are essential.

How does DHEA fit into the picture?

There are 3 main types of hormones from the chemical perspective. DHEA falls under the second type, within the family of steroid hormones like testosterone. It is said that the main function of DHEA is to act as a hormone precursor to more potent hormones like testosterone.

So what does DHEA do?

According to some, DHEA which is produced by the adrenal glands of the body can have certain benefits when taken as a dietary supplement. Men and women both use DHEA for differing reasons. Men who are trying to buff up take inordinate amounts of it. Supplements claim it helps slow aging, build muscle, increase libido and the like. There is little research to support the benefits of DHEA supplements. If they work for you, that’s good but I’d recommend running it by your family physician first because actions have consequences and most supplements have side-effects.

The Side-effects

The claims made by DHEA supplements are not regulated and can be unsupported by research. Moreover, DHEA interacts with a lot of medication and that’s why asking your doctor before you start taking it is so vital. Some of the side-effects people feel are:

1.      Hair loss or facial hair in women

2.      Increased risk of various cancers

3.      Tiredness

4.       Oily skin and acne, as well as skin thickening

5.      Increased blood pressure and palpitations

6.      Fluctuating levels of cholesterol

While many athletes think that DHEA works, it’s a serious gamble because along with not helping, it might end up doing more damage. It affects the mind and the body and while it has been found to be helpful in relieving mild depression to some extent, unrestricted use of DHEA can actually cause stronger mood swings. Some side-effects are permanent.

Alternatives:

If you’re looking for a supplement that helps to naturally boost your libido or help you increase some muscle mass, try researching natural testosterone supplements like Ageless Male. They contain ingredients found in nature that boost the levels of testosterone in your body. The positives of this supplementation are that you will not be drowning your body with ready-made hormones and there are few side-effects because it is natural. The testimonials of Ageless Male and other supplements clearly show its efficacy.

            Since there is so much doubt surrounding the use of DHEA as a supplement, we should be careful and advice other to be careful while taking any hormone as a supplement. Men and women should research natural supplements that help increase the body’s natural hormone production which is much safer in the long run.

Of Meat and Men and Testosterone

From ages past meat has been associated with manliness. The process of hunting, roasting and then eating large amounts of meat has become an important part of many cultures. Men from diverse cultures can find common ground over food which is usually meat. It helps men bond like nothing else can. But what we’re going to discuss more today is not just the love that men have for meat but also why they love it from the perspective of testosterone.

So how do meat and testosterone connect?

Meat naturally boosts the body’s production of testosterone in 2 significant ways:

1.      It provides cholesterol:

Cholesterol is the building block for testosterone. That means the testosterone in a man’s blood usually started off as a cholesterol molecule first. The lower the cholesterol levels the lower testosterone levels. This doesn’t mean simply eating high-cholesterol foods will increase your testosterone. There are many other factors and eating too much cholesterol will only increase risk of heart disease. That’s why men are advised to eat lean meat.

2.      It provides zinc:

Zinc is so significant in testosterone production. Some studies have shown that low testosterone levels can be directly linked to a zinc deficiency. Additionally zinc supplementation helps bump up testosterone levels. Meat is full of zinc, so why wouldn’t men love it!

There are many other ways you can naturally boost your testosterone levels. Supplements like Ageless Male are one the safest ways because it takes ingredients from nature that boost testosterone. According to review of Ageless Male, it contains extract of fenugreek seed that has been studied quite extensively.

Now at this point you might be wondering why you need to boost your testosterone levels in the first place. Here are some reasons:

1.      Some men need more testosterone because they naturally have problems synthesizing testosterone. These can be young men too but generally older men begin to gradually drop in testosterone levels.

2.      Some men are experiencing changes because their testosterone levels are not what they used to be in their teen years. Having a good amount of testosterone in your system will help improve libido, muscle mass, reduce fatigue and even keep moodiness at bay. It helps concentration as well according to some studies. Who knew that one hormone could have such far-reaching effects. Testosterone makes men feel better overall and that’s another reason they love meat.

So men love meat not just because it tastes so good but also because it helps boost their manliness by boosting testosterone levels. The protein in meat additionally helps build muscle but as I’ve said earlier, try to eat as much lean meat as possible. Eating poultry is a good way to eat mostly lean meat. Remember that the healthiest diets are well-balanced and you do need to eat more than 5 servings of fruits and vegetable every day.

Finally, if you’re a vegetarian, that’s ok but you’ll need to eat a lot of beans and eggs and supplements to make up for the zinc and cholesterol your body needs. It’s not impossible but you have to make a conscious effort to keep those testosterone levels flying high.

The Heart of Testosterone

Thousands of men across America take a variety of testosterone boosters or supplements for a variety of reasons. Many of them don’t even consult a doctor before flooding their bodies with this hormone. Testosterone is a powerful hormone like all the other hormones. Too much testosterone can cause aggression, acne and other distressful symptoms while too little testosterone can leave a man depressed and weak. When average men take natural testosterone supplements like Ageless Male, many benefits are experienced. Some of them are:

·         Muscle mass: The number one reason most men take testosterone supplements is to increase their muscle mass. Testosterone supplements help build more muscle and also increase stamina while lifting. Younger men who want to body build and older men who might be losing muscle with age could both benefit by taking testosterone. But remember the dosage should always be monitored by a physician.

·         Libido: Men who want to experience a better intimacy often take testosterone supplements to improve libido. Testosterone levels are known to gradually decrease with age. If you read Ageless Male testimonials, you’ll see that many middle-aged men have felt young again with the help of fenugreek seed extract that Ageless Male contains.

·         Energy: Testosterone helps keep the body’s metabolism up and running. A slight increase in testosterone will also give you more energy to get more done in the same 24 hours.

·         Increased testosterone levels: Some men suffer from very low testosterone levels and find themselves gaining weight, losing muscle and energy. They need these testosterone supplements to help them meet their daily testosterone requirements.

Besides all these great things testosterone can do for you, research has shown that testosterone also affects the heart. What are some ways testosterone interacts with the heart?

1.      Prevents atherosclerosis: Some research has shown that testosterone helps HDL (good cholesterol) to remove the cholesterol that sticks to and accumulates in the inner wall of an artery. It also helps carry it to the liver for proper disposal. So testosterone helps HDL to clear the path for blood to flow unhindered.

2.      Low testosterone increases cardiac risk: If you think about it low testosterone has been linked to obesity, diabetes and some propose that men with very low levels of testosterone often have high cholesterol. Obesity, diabetes and cholesterol that are all linked to low testosterone are also risk factors for heart disease. While this is an oversimplification of the relationship between testosterone and the heart, it is safe to say that adequate amounts of testosterone are necessary for the heart to function optimally.

It’s interesting that this one hormone has so many different uses in the human body. The benefits of testosterone go far beyond this article. The human body is so complex and there are so many factors that are dependent on one another that the research will never end. So the take home message is: Consider whether you really need testosterone supplements. If you do find a good brand of natural testosterone supplement that your doctor approves of see the difference it will make.