We are all vaguely familiar with the term testosterone and at least some of its various implications. Here’s a quick summary of what healthy testosterone levels may help with:
These are all good reasons to make sure that one’s testosterone levels are in check. In this article, I bring to you a safe method to increase your testosterone levels: red light therapy.
Red light therapy is the process of shining a light of a specific wavelength onto the body to produce beneficial results. Here, we are going to talk specifically about shining it on the testicles.
Research on the effects of red light on animal testicular function has been going on for almost a century now. In almost all cases, testicular stimulation via red light has been linked to healthy testicular growth and superior reproductive outcomes. Applying red light to testicles for beneficial effects is not a new idea.
How much of a difference can simple light exposure have on the body, though? To give an idea, let’s look at sunlight. Studies have shown that direct sunlight exposure to the torso reliably increases testosterone levels by anywhere from 25% to 160%. Applied directly to the testicles, sunlight increases testosterone production by an average of 200%. That doesn’t mean red light exposure produces the same results, it’s just an illustration of what light can potentially do to our bodies. There is not a huge amount of research on specifically human subjects, but what has been produced so far regarding red light exposure shows a steady, dose-dependent jump in testosterone levels.
Red Light is believed to increase testosterone production by increasing the energy availability of the Leydig cells in the testicles. Energy levels and cellular function generally correspond, meaning that the more energy a cell has, the more it functions. Leydig cells, the cells that produce testosterone, are especially affected by energy availability. The more ATP their mitochondria are producing, the more testosterone they pump out. Red and infrared wavelengths increase ATP Production in cells exposed to it. When exposed to this light wavelength, the Leydig cells’ mitochondria produces more ATP, increasing the energy availability of the cell. The energy is then used for the production of additional testosterone. It is through this link that our testicles are thought to produce more testosterone when exposed to red light.
Spermatogenesis, or the creation of sperm cells, happens in the testicles. The production of these sperm cells is linearly related to ATP/energy production. The more ATP produced in our bodies, and testicles, the more our testicles produce sperm. The mitochondria is responsible for such production, and its abilities can be enhanced or diminished. Things that inhibit its abilities to produce ATP, like alcohol and viagra, hurt sperm production. Things that support its abilities, like caffeine and magnesium, increase sperm counts and fertility.
The quality of sperm matters, too. Things like motility, the sperm’s ability to swim, and morphology, the sperm’s form as a cell, are important in a healthy batch of semen. Here’s where this connects to testosterone: high sperm quality and count is almost always associated with high testosterone levels, and vice versa; one is generally a good indicator of the other. This means that, in addition to the research showing higher testosterone levels from red light therapy, the research showing higher sperm quality as a result also supports the notion of increased testosterone production.
More research has to be done on human subjects, but the evidence so far seems to greatly support the following notions:
Attempting to explain any physiological process in the human body can get overly complex and confusing very fast. Taking away the complexities for the sake of a concise, actionable piece of advice creates the same potential problems as any other simplification. It’s important to remember there are nuances that are not present for the sake of utility. If you’re going to change up any variables when you experiment with your body, then you should research possible implications of that change on the final result.
