Fat for Testosterone?

[hacienda]

For Santana: I heard you say on a recent podcast that fat in one's diet is necessary for the body's production of testosterone. Is there a specific type of fat that is recommended to provide for adequate production? Meaning, things like fish oil and oil, as opposed to things like butter and bacon grease?

[Robert Santana]

Cholesterol is used to make sex hormones and Vitamin D. Your body makes its own cholesterol. Cholesterol is made from acetyl CoA and fat provides more than carbohydrates and protein. More on that in biochem text book. That said, you don't need to do anything with your diet unless you are under-eating fat. You should focus on getting good omega 3s from fish or fish oil as well as monounsaturated fats, while moderating the non fish animal fat. By moderating I don't mean being scared of it just not having it account for the majority of your fat intake.

[CommanderFun]

I was gonna post this in its own thread, but it seems relevant here. Have you ever heard of fish oil supplementation causing anxiety/depression symptoms to manifest? I've read about this theory involving excessive acetylcholine in the brain that seems to line up with some things I've experienced when I try fish oil.

[Robert Santana]

Explain to me why DHA or EPA would stimulate acetylcholine release in the brain? What was the proposed mechanism?

[CommanderFun]

I've seen a couple of places where it's talked about. Here's a one study I found. It proposes the PUFAs either stimulate increased release of of acetylcholine or acetylcholinesterase (I get what that substance is and what it does, but I still feel the need to copy and paste it instead of type it...what a whopper). I think this effect probably wouldn't show up in normal, healthy people. My thinking is it's related to the increased acetylcholine levels found in people suffering from anxiety/depression. I know they haven't conclusively proven the elevated levels are a cause and not caused by the anxiety/depression, but it's really weird the effects I'm getting from taking fish oil.

[CommanderFun]

Woops, forgot to include the link.
Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids improve cholinergic transmission in the aged brain - PMC

[Robert Santana]

Rat physiology is not generalizable to human physiology so you have a big problem there.

[CommanderFun]

Really? I thought it was common to use rats in place of humans as test subjects in initial stages of study at least. I guess in this case they can't really move on to trying it in humans, since I imagine part of the process involved killing the rats and poking around in the contents of their brains. Can't really get that kind of research going on humans without straying deep into Mengele territory. Anyway, while the phenomenon happening in rats doesn't guarantee it will happen in humans, there's also nothing that rules that out as a possibility, is there?

[Robert Santana]

Just because it is common doesn't mean that it can be extrapolated. Lots of things are common in professional research that are bullshit. Self reported dietary intake and self reported steroid use for some obvious examples.