In short
Mostly no. A few ingredients raise testosterone slightly in men who were short of them, and the rest have weak or no evidence. Sleep, weight and alcohol move the number more than any supplement.
On this page
Testosterone boosters are supplements sold to raise testosterone, usually a mix of vitamins, minerals and herbs. This page goes through the common ingredients and what the studies found, with links.
Do testosterone boosters work?
Mostly not. A 2020 study looked at the ingredients in testosterone booster products and searched for evidence on each one. Nine in ten products claimed to boost testosterone. Of the 109 ingredients, 24.8% had any data showing a rise, 10.1% had data showing a fall, and 61.5% had no data at all (Clemesha 2020).
Does zinc raise testosterone?
Only if you are low in zinc. In one study, cutting zinc from young men’s diets lowered their testosterone, and giving zinc to older men who were mildly deficient raised it (Prasad 1996). Extra zinc on top of a normal diet hasn’t been shown to help.
Does vitamin D raise testosterone?
Not in healthy men. In a randomised trial, vitamin D made no difference to total testosterone in men whose testosterone was normal to start with (Lerchbaum 2017).
Does ashwagandha work?
It may raise the number a little. In an Australian trial in overweight men aged 40 to 70, eight weeks of ashwagandha was linked to a 14.7% greater rise in testosterone than a dummy pill. The men didn’t report feeling any different from the men on the dummy pill for fatigue, vigour or sexual wellbeing (Lopresti 2019).
Does fenugreek work?
A pooled analysis of four trials found fenugreek extract had an effect on total testosterone (Mansoori 2020). Four small trials is not much to go on.
Does tribulus work?
No. A review of the studies concluded that tribulus doesn’t raise testosterone in humans and that the marketing claims aren’t supported (Qureshi 2014).
Does D-aspartic acid work?
No. In men who lift weights, three grams a day made no difference and six grams a day lowered total and free testosterone (Melville 2015).
Does creatine increase testosterone?
No. In the study people usually quote, three weeks of creatine left testosterone unchanged in young rugby players. A related hormone, DHT, went up (van der Merwe 2009). A 2021 review of the evidence concluded that creatine hasn’t been shown to raise testosterone or to cause hair loss (Antonio 2021).
Are testosterone boosters safe?
Most are vitamins and herbs at doses that are unlikely to hurt you, but more is not better. In the 2020 study the products contained a median of 272% of the recommended daily zinc, and 13 went over the upper safe limit for zinc, vitamin B3 or magnesium (Clemesha 2020). Tell your doctor or pharmacist what you take, because supplements can interact with medicines.
What does raise testosterone?
- Sleep. One week of five hours’ sleep a night lowered daytime testosterone in healthy young men by 10 to 15 per cent (Leproult 2011).
- Losing weight. In men with obesity, weight loss raised testosterone, and the more weight lost the bigger the rise (Corona 2013).
- Drinking less. Drinking heavily, especially over a long period, lowers testosterone production (Smith 2023).
When is a blood test worth it?
If you have a lower sex drive, fewer morning erections or tiredness that doesn’t lift, a morning blood test tells you more than a supplement will. Our guides to the signs of low testosterone and the testosterone test in Australia explain what’s measured.
References
- Clemesha CG, Thaker H, Samplaski MK. ‘Testosterone boosting’ supplements composition and claims are not supported by the academic literature. World J Mens Health. 2020.
- Prasad AS and others. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996.
- Lerchbaum E and others. Vitamin D and testosterone in healthy men: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017.
- Lopresti AL, Drummond PD, Smith SJ. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study examining the hormonal and vitality effects of ashwagandha in aging, overweight males. Am J Mens Health. 2019.
- Mansoori A and others. Effect of fenugreek extract supplement on testosterone levels in male: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Phytother Res. 2020.
- Qureshi A, Naughton DP, Petroczi A. A systematic review on the herbal extract Tribulus terrestris and the roots of its putative aphrodisiac and performance enhancing effect. J Diet Suppl. 2014.
- Melville GW, Siegler JC, Marshall PW. Three and six grams supplementation of d-aspartic acid in resistance trained men. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015.
- van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. 2009.
- Antonio J and others. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021.
- Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men. JAMA. 2011.
- Smith SJ, Lopresti AL, Fairchild TJ. The effects of alcohol on testosterone synthesis in men: a review. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2023.
- Corona G and others. Body weight loss reverts obesity-associated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Endocrinol. 2013.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t replace a consultation with a doctor who knows your history. In an emergency, call 000.