Mojo Matters

Mojo is hard to define but easy to miss. It's the energy to get up and go, the drive to take on a challenge, the confidence to feel like yourself, and a healthy interest in sex. Many men notice it fading and put it down to age, stress or simply life. Sometimes that's true. But often, a quieter change lies underneath: a fall in testosterone, the hormone at the heart of male vitality. And the striking thing is that it's falling not only as men age, but from one generation to the next.

A generation running low

Testosterone naturally declines with age, by roughly 1% a year from around the age of 30 or 40. But researchers following men in Massachusetts found something more surprising: men of the same age had lower testosterone than men of that age a decade or two earlier. A 65-year-old in the early 2000s had substantially less than a 65-year-old in the late 1980s, and this fall couldn't be explained by changes in smoking or weight alone.¹ More recent American data show the same downward trend in teenagers and young men aged 15 to 39.²

Something in modern life is affecting men's hormones from a young age. The likely suspects are the same ones that run through so much of modern ill health: rising waistlines, poor sleep, chronic stress, processed food, inactivity, and everyday exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. (See The Hormone Web.)

What testosterone does

Testosterone is far more than a sex hormone. It helps to build and keep muscle and bone, supports red blood cell production, influences how the body stores fat and handles blood sugar, and affects mood, motivation, confidence and concentration. When it runs low, the signs can creep in slowly:

• Tiredness and low energy, even after sleep
• Low libido and weaker or less frequent erections
• Loss of muscle and strength, and more fat around the middle
• Low mood, irritability, poor concentration and a loss of drive (See Where Body Care Meets Mind.)
• Poorer sleep, and slower recovery from exercise

Unlike the menopause, the male decline is usually gradual, which is why so many men don't notice until a lot has changed. These symptoms have other possible causes too, from low thyroid and iron to depression and sleep apnoea, which is why they're worth looking into properly rather than guessing.

An early warning from the heart

Erection problems are often treated as a private embarrassment. They deserve to be taken far more seriously, because they can be one of the earliest signs of heart disease. Erections depend on healthy blood vessels, and the arteries of the penis are narrower than those of the heart, so they tend to show damage first. In a large American study, men who developed erectile difficulties had a 45% higher risk of a later heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event over the following years.³ Erection problems often appear some three years before heart symptoms do.⁴

Seen this way, the bedroom becomes an early-warning system. If erections are changing, it's a good reason to have your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked, and to look at the habits that protect both the heart and your mojo, which turn out to be the same ones. (See Heart-Brain Coherence.)

What's good for the heart is good for your mojo.

What's draining it

• Belly fat. Fat tissue, especially around the middle, contains an enzyme called aromatase that converts testosterone into oestrogen. Lower testosterone then makes it easier to store fat, creating a cycle. The good news is that it works in reverse: weight loss reliably raises testosterone, and the more weight lost, the bigger the rise.⁵
• Short sleep. Most testosterone is released during sleep. When healthy young men were limited to five hours a night for just one week, their daytime testosterone fell by 10 to 15%, the equivalent of ageing 10 to 15 years.⁶ (See The Art of Sleep.)
• Sugar and blood sugar swings. In one study, a sugary glucose drink lowered men's testosterone by an average of 25%, and it stayed low for at least two hours.⁷ Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are closely linked with low testosterone. (See Balancing the Sugar Seesaw.)
• Chronic stress. The stress hormone cortisol and testosterone work like a seesaw: when one stays high, the other falls. (See The Cortisol Clock.)
• Hormone-disrupting chemicals. Phthalates, found in many plastics, fragrances and personal care products, interfere with testosterone production. In American national data, men with higher levels of phthalates in their urine had lower testosterone.⁸ (See Lightening the Load.)
• Alcohol, which directly suppresses testosterone production in the testes and raises its conversion to oestrogen.
• Inactivity. Muscles that aren't asked to work send the body little reason to make testosterone.

Building it back

The encouraging message from the research is that much of this is within a man's control, and the changes that help most cost little or nothing.

• Lift something heavy. Strength training with large muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts and presses, gives testosterone a short-term lift and, over time, builds the muscle that supports healthy hormones and blood sugar.⁹ Two or three sessions a week is plenty. (See Born to Move.)
• Protect your sleep. Seven to nine hours, in a dark, cool room, with a regular bedtime. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing can signal sleep apnoea, which is strongly linked with low testosterone and is worth having assessed.
• Lose the belly. A whole-food diet built on vegetables, protein, healthy fats and fibre, with little sugar or ultra-processed food, is the most reliable way to raise testosterone naturally. (See Real Food, Real Health.)
• Go easy on plastics. Store and heat food in glass or stainless steel, choose fragrance-free personal care products, and eat organic where you can.
• Get outside. Daylight supports a healthy hormone rhythm and vitamin D, and time in nature lowers cortisol. (See Living by the Sun.)

Nutrients that matter

These nutrients matter most when a man's energy and drive are flagging:

• Zinc is essential for making testosterone. When zinc runs low, testosterone falls, and in older men with marginal zinc deficiency, supplementing raised their levels.¹⁰ Oysters are the richest source by far, followed by red meat, pumpkin seeds, cashews and lentils. (See Food as Medicine.)
• Vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. In a year-long trial in men who were short of vitamin D, supplementing raised their testosterone compared with placebo.¹¹ In the UK, most people need a supplement through autumn and winter.
• Magnesium, from leafy greens, nuts, seeds and whole grains, supports sleep, blood sugar control and the body's handling of testosterone.
• Healthy fats. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, so very low-fat diets can work against it. Olive oil, oily fish, nuts, avocado and eggs all help.

Herbs for male vitality

Several traditional herbs have been studied for men's energy and hormones. The evidence varies a great deal:

• Ashwagandha has the strongest research. In a trial in overweight men aged 40 to 70, it raised testosterone by around 15% more than placebo over eight weeks.¹² As an adaptogen, it also helps the body manage stress and sleep. (See Stressed Plants, Stronger Medicine.)
• Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia), a traditional Malaysian root, raised testosterone in men with low levels in a month-long study.¹³
• Maca, a Peruvian root, has improved sexual desire in trials, though without changing testosterone levels.¹⁴
• Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been treasured in Chinese and Korean medicine for over two thousand years as a tonic for strength, stamina and vitality in men. Several clinical trials have found it improved erectile function and sexual satisfaction compared with placebo, and many men find it restores energy and drive.¹⁵ It's stimulating and warming, so it suits someone tired and depleted rather than someone wired, hot or with high blood pressure, and it shouldn't be combined with blood-thinning medicines without advice.
• Shilajit, a mineral-rich resin that seeps from rocks high in the Himalayas, has been prized in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries as a rejuvenating tonic. In a trial in healthy men aged 45 to 55, purified shilajit raised total testosterone by around 20% over three months, along with DHEA, a building block of testosterone.¹⁶ Quality matters greatly: only purified, tested products should be used, as raw shilajit can contain heavy metals.
• Tribulus is widely sold for testosterone, but human studies have generally found it doesn't raise testosterone.¹⁷

Herbs work best when matched to the person. Ashwagandha, for example, is warming and grounding, ideal for someone depleted, anxious and run-down, but less suited to someone who already runs hot. (See The Architecture of Balance.) Some herbs also interact with medicines, including those for blood pressure, blood sugar and the thyroid, so it's best to take them with a practitioner's guidance rather than self-prescribing. (See When Plants Meet Pills.)

The emotional side

Losing your mojo can feel like losing part of yourself, and many men keep it to themselves. Low mood in men often shows up not as sadness but as irritability, anger, withdrawal, overworking or drinking more. Men are also far less likely than women to seek help, and suicide remains the biggest cause of death in men under 50 in the UK. (See Closing the Divide.) Talking to a partner, a friend or a professional isn't a weakness; it's often the first step to feeling like yourself again. (See Social Resonance.)

At Rootwise, we look at the whole picture behind a fading mojo, from sleep, stress and blood sugar to nutrients, gut health and environmental exposures, and help you build a practical plan to restore your energy and vitality. A Rootwise consultation can help you find out what's really going on, and where to begin.