Link Between Your Belly and Low Testosterone
Most men accept a belly as part of the aging process. As you grow older your metabolism decreases making it harder to lose weight compared to when you were younger. However, not all this reluctance to lose weight is a result of the aging process. Sometimes it’s the hormones in your body wreaking havoc. For assistance on how to balance your hormones and lose belly fat see NovaGenix in Palm Beach gardens. Below we look at the relationship between your belly and low testosterone.
Low Testosterone Leads To Muscle Loss
When testosterone starts to decline in your body it becomes hard to build muscles and a significant loss continues as days progress. The hormone plays a key role in the development of muscle mass. Muscles play a critical role in fat loss as they aid the fat burning process. That’s why men lose fat faster compared to women in the gym even though they could be doing the same exercise, same diet, and putting the same effort as the men.
Low Testosterone and Increased Body Fat
Reduced T hormone leads to an increase in body fat mostly due to reduced muscle mass. Muscles play a great role in fat loss and when they decrease, the body stores the fat instead of burning it for use as fuel. As you age, the fat tends to be stored around the belly to protect vital body organs such as the liver and kidney.
The same increased body fat leads to gynecomastia, a condition where male breast tissues get enlarged. Weight loss, exercise, and diet have been shown to help decrease breast size. If there are no significant changes since the main problem is hormones, liposuction and mastectomy are recommended. Liposuction is a type of surgery where excess fat around the breast is removed. With mastectomy, the surgery removes the breast tissue.
Difficult Sleeping Link to Weight Gain
Lack of sleep has been proven to be one of the biggest hindrances to weight loss. One study explains that sleeping less than four hours increases hunger and appetite for carbohydrates which play a great role in weight gain. Other studies suggest that sleep duration affects ghrelin and leptin, the two hormones that regulate hunger. Lack of sleep also causes fatigue which in turn results in less physical activity and this leads to weight gain.
Low testosterone levels make it difficult to fall asleep and sometimes staying asleep is also a problem. In some cases, it causes sleep apnea, a condition where you stop breathing causing disruption to sleep.
Slow Metabolism
Metabolism refers to the chemical processes that take place in the body for normal functioning. These include digestion, breathing, cell repair, and many others such as growth, and bone development. Testosterone plays a very key role in these body functions especially in males and a decrease leads to a slow metabolism. This decrease leads to a breakdown of these processes such as fat burning which provides the body with energy. Testosterone is also key in maintaining bone density with studies showing a heightened risk of bone fractures in older men. A decrease in T translates to a decrease in muscle mass production and reduced bone density.
Decreased Energy Levels
A low testosterone level comes with mood swings, fatigue, and low energy levels. Most of the time you feel tired even after rest. This eventually makes it difficult to engage in activities you once enjoyed such as exercise.
Increased Estrogen
As testosterone decreases as men age, there is an increase in estrogen, the hormone that gives women feminine features. Excess fat is one of the main causes of excess estrogen in the body. Fat tissue produces more estrogen leading to more imbalances between the two hormones. As estrogen goes higher, testosterone reduces. The more estrogen in your bloodstream the more you are likely to develop a belly.
Other aspects that cause an increase in estrogen in men and eventually a belly include a high carb diet, stress which suppresses testosterone, and toxic chemicals from plastics. An increase in the aromatase enzyme as a result of the aging process and lifestyle changes also leads to high estrogen levels as it converts androgens to estrogen.
The role of testosterone in a male body cannot be underestimated. However, the reality of aging can also not be ignored. There is a need for a middle ground which can be achieved by seeking help from a doctor. There are various remedies to both belly fat and low testosterone levels. You can visit NovaGenix located in Palm Beach gardens for assistance.
