Boron and Testosterone: Androgenic Trace-Mineral
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018
Medical Review by Dr. Vlad Belghiru, MD
There are multiple micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that contribute to testosterone synthesis, such as: vitamins A, C, D, K2, zinc, magnesium, iodine, calcium, etc…
…But what is often left unmentioned is the trace mineral boron. When in fact it’s the boron that currently holds the most impressive results on natural T production in terms of scientific evidence.
Many experts believe that we’re getting significantly less boron through the diet than our ancestors did, and this is because the modern day “power farming” quickly depletes the soil in which our food is grown, leaving less boron – and less of multiple other naturally occurring micronutrients – into the end product.
But is boron something you’d want to miss from the diet? Definitely not according to the research which shows the benefits of boron:
Boron and Testosterone Levels
Boron is a rare mineral in Earth, and in this whole universe. And this is because boron is a “trace leftover” of the big bang, arriving Earth via cosmic dust and meteor materials…
…Hence why only about 0.001% of the Earths crust is boron.
Not only is boron rare in the Earth, but it’s also somewhat uncommon as a supplemental micronutrient. It isn’t even included in the list of “essential vitamins and minerals for human survival”, and there isn’t a set minimum requirement for dietary boron (although it has an RDI of ~3 mg/day).
However – as unnecessary as boron may seem like – what most of the guys don’t know is that boron can be easily labeled as a natural testosterone booster. This one ridiculously cheap and unpopular trace mineral is actually much more effective in raising ones natural T production than most of the “T-Booster” products flying of the shelves at your local GNC are.
Take this study from Naghii et al. as an example. The researchers in this trial gave eight of their male subjects ~10 mg’s of boron supplement, every morning for 7 consecutive days. After the week had passed, the scientists compared their subjects blood results from day 1 to day 7 and found out that:
- free testosterone levels had increased by 28%
- free estrogen levels had decreased by -39%
- dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels rose by 10%
- many inflammation biomarkers (hsCRP, TNF-α) dropped significantly
NOTE: The same researchers measured testosterone levels on their subjects in a study conducted in 1997 set to examine boron’s effects on cardiovascular risk, in that trial 10 mg’s of daily boron increased total testosterone levels by 15%, slight increases were also seen in total estrogen levels, which should be noted.
Another study from Mjilkovich et al. looked at how boron supplementation impacts serum vitamin D levels, but on the side, they also measured free testosterone levels. After 2 months of giving their 13 subject males 6 mg’s of daily boron (calcium fructo-borate) the levels of free testosterone had increased by 29,5% on average, a number similar to the findings of Naghii et al.
Two rodent studies (study, study) examining boron’s toxicity have also found significant dose-dependent increases in testosterone levels after boron supplementation, highest dose (500 mg/day) leading to a massive 160% increase. Though this amount – not only crazily expensive – would be highly toxic also, since dosages exceeding 25 mg/day start showing symptoms of toxicity and are not recommended.
Conclusion on Boron Testosterone Supplementation
There’s a good amount of scientific evidence speaking for the health benefits of boron. It has the ability to increase testosterone levels in healthy human males, and in rodents, and also in women (with boron deficiency). That is why I recommend you take a boron testosterone supplement.
A dose range that should be able to increase testosterone levels (without becoming toxic) falls in between 3-25 mg/day.
Aside from supplementation (the brand above is highly recommended for its incredibly high-quality standards), some good dietary boron sources include raisins, gelatin, prunes, dates, avocados, almonds, Brazil nuts, and honey.
Ali Kuoppala
