Lowering testosterone is something men pursue for a range of reasons, from managing prostate cancer to addressing symptoms of unusually high levels like severe acne, aggression, or hair loss. The approach depends entirely on why you want to bring levels down and by how much. Some methods involve medical treatment supervised by a doctor, while others rely on dietary and lifestyle changes that produce more modest shifts.
What Counts as High Testosterone
Before trying to lower your levels, it helps to know where you stand. The American Urological Association defines low testosterone as below 300 ng/dL, and most international guidelines set the floor somewhere between 264 and 350 ng/dL. For men aged 20 to 29, average total testosterone runs around 500 to 514 ng/dL. By ages 40 to 44, the average drops to about 430 ng/dL. Levels naturally decline with age, roughly 1% to 2% per year after 30.
True hypergonadism, where the body produces significantly more testosterone than normal, is relatively uncommon. If your levels are within the normal range and you’re experiencing symptoms you attribute to testosterone, the cause may be something else entirely. A simple blood test, ideally drawn in the morning when levels peak, gives you a clear starting point.
Medical Reasons for Lowering Testosterone
The most common clinical reason to suppress testosterone is prostate cancer. Prostate tumors are often fueled by androgens, so bringing testosterone to very low levels can slow or shrink the cancer. This is called androgen deprivation therapy, and it’s a cornerstone of treatment for advanced or recurring prostate cancer. The methods range from injections that signal the brain to stop stimulating testosterone production to medications that block testosterone from reaching cancer cells.
Some transgender women also lower testosterone as part of gender-affirming hormone therapy, typically combining anti-androgen medications with estrogen under medical supervision. In rarer cases, men with conditions that cause genuinely excessive testosterone production may need treatment to bring levels into a healthy range.
Medically suppressing testosterone comes with real trade-offs. Fatigue, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, reduced bone density, mood changes, and decreased sex drive are all well-documented effects. The Mayo Clinic notes that low testosterone left unchecked can contribute to osteoporosis and reduced red blood cell production. These aren’t minor inconveniences. If you’re considering medical suppression for any reason, understanding these consequences matters.
Foods That May Reduce Testosterone
Several foods have shown measurable effects on testosterone in studies, though the reductions are generally more modest than what medication achieves.
Licorice root has some of the strongest evidence. In one study, 25 men who consumed 7 grams of licorice root daily experienced a 26% drop in testosterone after just one week. A separate study in women found 3.5 grams daily reduced testosterone by 32% within a single menstrual cycle. That said, licorice root in large amounts can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, so daily use isn’t something to take lightly.
Spearmint tea has shown testosterone-lowering effects, particularly in studies involving women with polycystic ovary syndrome. A 12-week trial of 150 participants found that drinking spearmint tea daily caused a significant decline in testosterone levels. Animal studies have confirmed similar results. Evidence specifically in men is limited, but the mechanism appears to apply across sexes.
Soy protein contains plant compounds called isoflavones that can interact with hormone pathways. One small study reported a 19% decrease in testosterone among 12 men who consumed 56 grams of isolated soy protein daily for four weeks. However, that study had significant limitations: one participant had a baseline testosterone level more than double anyone else’s and experienced an outsized drop, skewing the group average. When researchers suggested removing that outlier, the remaining participants actually saw their levels rebound after stopping soy. The real-world effect of moderate soy consumption on testosterone is likely small.
Flaxseed is sometimes cited as testosterone-lowering because of compounds called lignans. But a controlled trial in men awaiting prostate surgery found no significant difference in testosterone changes between those eating flaxseed and those who didn’t. Testosterone dropped across all groups, including the control group, suggesting the presurgical setting itself was responsible. The evidence for flaxseed specifically lowering testosterone in men is weak.
How Exercise Affects Testosterone
Exercise influences testosterone in both directions depending on the type, intensity, and volume. Resistance training, especially compound lifts like squats and deadlifts, tends to increase testosterone production. If your goal is to lower levels, heavy weightlifting may work against you.
Endurance exercise tells a different story. Prolonged, high-volume cardio training can suppress testosterone over time. This is well documented in long-distance runners and cyclists who train at high volumes. The mechanism involves the stress hormone cortisol: when your body is under sustained physical stress without adequate recovery, cortisol rises and testosterone drops. Overtraining, where you push hard without giving your body enough rest, reliably decreases testosterone levels.
Moderate aerobic exercise like jogging, swimming, or hiking supports overall health and weight management without the same suppressive effect on testosterone. If you’re specifically trying to lower levels through exercise, sustained high-volume endurance training is more likely to have that effect than moderate cardio, though the trade-off is the fatigue and injury risk that come with overtraining.
Body Weight and Testosterone
Body composition plays a significant role in hormone levels, but the relationship isn’t as straightforward as you might expect. Higher body fat, particularly visceral fat around the midsection, is associated with lower testosterone. Fat tissue contains an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, so carrying excess weight tends to shift the hormonal balance away from testosterone on its own.
Conversely, losing weight and reducing body fat percentage often raises testosterone. If you’re carrying extra weight and also have high testosterone, the two may not be directly connected, and losing weight could actually push testosterone higher as your metabolic health improves. This is worth keeping in mind if you’re adjusting diet and exercise simultaneously.
Other Lifestyle Factors
Sleep deprivation lowers testosterone. Studies have shown that restricting sleep to five hours per night for a week can reduce testosterone by 10% to 15% in young men. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which competes with testosterone production. Alcohol consumption, particularly heavy or chronic drinking, suppresses testosterone through multiple pathways, including direct effects on the testes and disruption of hormone signaling in the brain.
None of these are practical strategies for intentionally lowering testosterone, since they all come with serious health costs. But they’re worth understanding if you’re trying to figure out why your levels might already be shifting. Poor sleep, high stress, and heavy drinking are among the most common non-medical causes of declining testosterone in otherwise healthy men.
Realistic Expectations
Dietary and lifestyle changes can nudge testosterone levels, but they won’t produce the dramatic reductions that medications can. If you need a significant drop for a medical reason like prostate cancer treatment, food and exercise alone won’t get you there. If you’re looking for a modest reduction because you suspect your levels are on the high side and contributing to symptoms like acne, irritability, or oily skin, dietary adjustments like adding licorice root or spearmint tea could be worth trying, with the understanding that the evidence is still limited in scale.
Getting a baseline blood test is the most useful first step. Without knowing your actual levels, you’re guessing at whether testosterone is even the issue. Many symptoms people attribute to high testosterone, like irritability or trouble sleeping, overlap with dozens of other conditions. Starting with data lets you make informed choices about whether and how aggressively to pursue lowering your levels.