Is Vitamin D the Best Testosterone Booster? And What Vitamins Are Good For Testosterone?

By  //  January 13, 2023

Vitamin D is actually quite important for testosterone and as a result, it’s not surprising that testosterone levels across the USA have been dropping.

We simply don’t get as much sunlight as our grandparents used to. But is it the best testosterone booster vitamin out there? 

Well yes and no, vitamin D does raise testosterone levels, particularly in men who are deficient, and around 50% of the US population is deficient in vitamin D, so that applies to most of us, but beyond that vitamin D has a lot of other effects that people who are looking to raise testosterone levels are actually trying to achieve. 

It’s been shown in multiple studies to raise athletic performance even well beyond the recommended daily minimums, it also plays a part in improving mood, sleep and your immune system. 

How Much Can Vitamin D Raise Testosterone?

In terms of how much vitamin D can boost testosterone levels, some small studies have shown that it can raise testosterone levels as much as 46% although some others show it more like 10%. Either way, this is a notable improvement for a lot of men. 

So Is Vitamin D The best? 

Well, that depends, there are other vitamins that boost testosterone more than vitamin D depending on your circumstances.

Zinc And Testosterone

If you’re deficient in zinc, it will completely tank your testosterone levels, men with both low testosterone and zinc deficiency were given zinc supplements which reversed the issues. This was true for men who had only a moderate zinc deficiency which is below being classified as “clinically deficient”. 

B Vitamins

B vitamins are also essential for testosterone production, however, very few men are deficient in b vitamins, so whilst these are hyped up a lot for increasing testosterone levels. 

Magnesium for testosterone

Magnesium seems to be quite the effective testosterone booster, regardless of deficiencies, several studies have shown that it raises testosterone levels substantially in men, particularly in men who are engaged in resistance training. Magnesium could be one of the two vitamins which outperform vitamin d as a testosterone booster. 

Boron

Boron has been shown to improve free testosterone levels by up to 25%, this is quite a dramatic increase, and it only requires a very small amount of the mineral, just 10mg. This makes it a very popular ingredient for testosterone booster supplements as it doesn’t take up much capsule space. It works by improving the metabolism of hormones that bind to testosterone leaving you with more overall tests available by reducing estradiol by almost half.  

So where does vitamin D sit? 

Vitamin D is definitely in the top 3 vitamins and minerals for testosterone, although it’s going to depend on your circumstances whether or not boron or magnesium will beat it out. And of course if you’re deficient then you definitely should get some zinc. Fortunately, there are a lot of vitamin pills that contain all of these and don’t actually cost too much so you don’t necessarily need to go for a testosterone booster. 

Is Getting A Dedicated Testosterone Booster Better Than A Vitamin D Pill? 

The short answer is yes, the long answer is, only if you get a good one. And there is a very large quality gap when it comes to the best testosterone boosters and the worst. A couple of good examples are Prime Male and Testogen

When studied however, only 20% work and 30% actually had a negative effect on testosterone levels according to meta-analysis. And unsurprisingly you get what you pay for testosterone supplements that cost less that $40/month were likely to be full of low-quality ingredients and the ones that did have good ingredients were underdosed to the point of having no positive impacts at all. Typically speaking you’ll want to look for ones that include DAA, the vitamins mentioned above, Ashwagandha, Ginseng and Fenugreek as all of these ingredients have been well studied. You should also avoid anything that doesn’t give the exact dosages of each ingredient on the label as these tend to basically include the cheapest ingredients possible that allow them to make any claims at all. 

What Else Can I Do To Boost Testosterone Levels? 

The main thing most Americans can do is lose weight, being overweight dramatically decreases testosterone levels, the same is true for being underweight, but this affects a lot less people in the US. 

Beyond that, making sure that you get enough sleep and try to avoid high-stress levels. Working out can also raise testosterone levels. 

There are a lot of myths about other things that can affect testosterone levels, including everything from cold showers through to abstinence although there is little evidence to back up most of these claims.

Conclusion

Vitamin D is a good way to improve your overall health and has a notable impact on improving a lot of the issues caused by low testosterone levels. It has been shown to raise testosterone levels in both healthy and unhealthy men, but even if it doesn’t work for you there’s a good chance that taking this sort of supplement is going to greatly benefit your health. We don’t get enough vitamin d now that most of us work indoors as the type of light that produces the vitamin naturally doesn’t pass through the glass as a result our bodies simply don’t produce enough. There may be better ways to boost your testosterone levels naturally, but that doesn’t mean taking a vitamin d pill is not a worthwhile addition to your morning routine.