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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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22.11.2008 |
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Molybdenum lowers testosterone level
Molybdenum is in our food. A few enzymes that are involved in oxidation in the body need the metal. We consume about 0.3 mg molybdenum every day. The body of an adult man contains about 10 mg of the metal.
Supplements manufacturers added molybdenum to vitamin pills for years. But recently they've become more cautious. Molybdenum is now only found in a limited number of products, e.g. the one pictured here, the Multiple Vitamin for Men Adam Superior. One pill supplies the modest amount of 50 mcg of molybdenum.
But if you look at the University of Michigan study, which will be published shortly in Fertility & Sterility, you might wonder whether it's worth raising your molybdenum level. The concentration of molybdenum in the blood turns out to be the most powerful predictor of testosterone concentration that the researchers could find. The simplified table below shows the three strongest relations between the concentration of metals and testosterone that the researchers found.
< 70th: the seventy percent of the men with a relatively less high level; 85th: the fifteen percent of the men with a relatively high level.
The lower the figure P, the more significant the relationship. Copper and zinc raise the level of testosterone, although the relationship shown for zinc is not statistically significant.
The testosterone-lowering effect of molybdenum was especially noticeable in men with little zinc in their blood.
Conclusion: the amount of molybdenum in the body is not significantly affected by taking supplements. Let's be honest, environmental pollution is a more important factor.
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